Project description
Personalised medicine for gastric cancer patients
Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The survival rate for patients with advanced GC is about 12 months. The EU-funded LEGACy project will improve GC outcomes by implementing actions for an earlier diagnosis and suggesting optimal treatment options according to patient characteristics. LEGACy approaches personalised medicine at the three levels of prevention in the central and eastern Europe, and in Central and South America, analysing the reasons for the diagnosis delay as well as an integral analysis of the epidemiological facts correlated with the multi-omic profile of these patients. Finally, the project will train young researchers and educate the general population on GC risk factors and symptoms.
Objective
Globally, gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in both sexes worldwide (723,000 deaths, 8.8% of the total). The highest estimated mortality rates are in Eastern Asia (24 per 100,000 in men, 9.8 per 100,000 in women), the lowest in Northern America (2.8 and 1.5 respectively). High mortality rates are also present in both sexes in Central and Eastern Europe, and in Central and South America.
None strategies have improved prognosis in locally advanced stage III and IV GC. Therefore, an urgent intervention is needed. Epidemiological and molecular features of GCs can vary widely according to their histological type, location and genetic makeup of the tumour. The reasons behind these differences are multiple and complex and may include genetic susceptibility, strains of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and dietary factors. In particular, H. pylori infection plays a relevant role in GC incidence. Similarly, about 10% of GC patients are positive for the infection of the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) . Most studies and current international databases on late-stage/advanced GC are largely based on Asian populations, in sharp contrast tumour biology and genome of EU and CELAC countries is poorly known.
From a public health standpoint, prevention can be conducted at three levels: primary, secondary, and for improving outcomes at the advanced stage of disease. In recent years, the arrival of personalized medicine has revolutionized available treatments for cancer patients.
The primary aim of LEGACY project is to improve GC outcomes by applying personalized medicine at the three levels of prevention: in EU and CELAC countries participating in this multicentre case-control study based on an “omics integrative epidemiology” conceptual model as a strategy to be extended worldwide.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
46010 Valencia
Spain