CONFERENCE
The GISTAR study (Gastric cancer prevention study by predicting atrophic gastritis/intestinal tumor prevention study, early detection of atrophic gastritis and colorectal damage) launched in October 2013 aims to discover and prove the effectiveness of new screening methods for early detection and prevention of gastric and intestinal cancers in regions with high cancer prevalence. In February 2025, the GISTAR study center opened in Jēkabpils. Residents who participated in the first phase of the study, which took place in 2019-2020, were invited for a follow-up examination.
By the end of the inclusion period in 2023, 11,223 residents of Latvia have participated. This unique study in Europe, which takes place only in Latvia and is one of the longest and most comprehensive in Latvian medicine, is conducted by the Institute of Clinical and Preventive Medicine of the University of Latvia (LU KPMI) under the leadership of Professor and gastroenterologist Mārčs Leja. Participants found to have the H. pylori bacteria in their stomach received a treatment course for its eradication. A follow-up survey of participants is currently being conducted, which will continue until February 2026. Invitations for follow-up visits have been completed in Cēsis (332 participants), Alūksne (331 participants), Ludza (546 participants), Saldus (548 participants), and Rēzekne (774 participants). Participant surveys are currently taking place in Dobele, and in a few months, surveys will begin in Tukums and Kuldīga.
The data obtained in the GISTAR study are also used in other studies:
• TOGAS (Towards Gastric Screening implementation in the European Union);
• EUROHELICAN (Accelerating gastric cancer reduction in Europe through Helicobacter pylori eradication);
• EUCanScreen (European Joint Action on Cancer Screening).
Before the center in Jekabpils opened, training was conducted for its staff, during which new employees were introduced to the study's website, data usage and security regulations, the GISTAR data management system, the study protocol, and the participant inclusion procedure, and practiced standard procedures.
The project "Towards Gastric Cancer Screening Implementation in the European Union" (TOGAS) has received funding from the European Union program EU4Health under grant agreement No. 101101252. The views and opinions expressed here reflect only the author's view(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The European Union and the funding agency are not responsible for them.
