LU konference
The goal of the StoP (Stomach Cancer Pooling) project is to enhance knowledge about risk factors in the development of gastric tumors – environmental, microbial, and genetic, as well as their interactions, and to promote international collaboration and increase the recognition of UL. Evita Gašenko emphasized that the Latvian partners of the consortium have sent samples – data and biological samples from gastric cancer patients and control groups (to partners in Rome, Italy), and they are currently being genotyped. Since last year, clinical data have been collected and supplemented in the UL biobank, ethical approvals have been obtained, a data transfer agreement has been signed with UL, and the data have been sent for genetic analysis. This part of the project was made possible thanks to the obtained postdoctoral grant: Inclusion of Data from Latvian Gastric Cancer Patients and Control Group Participants in the International Epidemiological StoP Project LU-BA-PG-2024/1-0005, 2024-2025, said oncologist-chemotherapist E. Gašenko. The initiative for the creation of the consortium belongs to a group of Italian researchers, which is the most widely represented in this participant group. The project involves the collection and analysis of epidemiological and clinical data on gastric cancer. The StoP project was initiated in 2012. Currently, the number of research groups has reached 34 and includes data on 13,121 gastric cancer patients and 31,420 control group participants.
To facilitate discussions, two lectures were presented at the meeting – Italian academic and surgeon Giovanni Corso delivered a lecture on hereditary diffuse gastric cancer and lobular breast cancer, paying special attention to the role of the CDH1 gene in their development. This presentation highlighted discussions on the possibilities of genetic diagnostics in high-risk groups. Gastroenterologist and associate professor from the University of Pavia, Marco Vincenzo Lenti presented a lecture titled Autoimmune gastritis and gastric cancer: underestimated risk or myth? It discussed the potential link between autoimmune gastritis and the development of gastric cancer, as well as emphasized the need for further research to understand the significance of this risk factor at the population level. Evita Gašenko emphasized that a significant part of the meeting was dedicated to exploring the relationship between nutrition and gastric cancer: “Several topics were presented at the meeting, such as calculating a sustainable dietary index and related methodological aspects, A posteriori dietary models and their association with gastric cancer risk – an update was provided, as well as the first results from current analyses on dietary factors within the StoP project.” Discussions addressed nutrition-related topics, including the consumption of carbonated beverages and its possible association with gastric cancer risk, as well as macronutrient intake and its impact on the development of gastric cancer. “The 2025 annual StoP consortium meeting confirmed its ability to mobilize a wide international partnership to jointly address significant issues in gastric cancer research. The need for a multidisciplinary approach was emphasized, linking aspects of genetics, epidemiology, and nutritional sciences,” concludes E. Gašenko.
