About

Gastric cancer is the fourth cause of cancer-related death and the fifth most common diagnosed cancer worldwide. Gastric cancer still remains an important healthcare challenge with 1 million new cases per year. Despite its progressive decline over the past three decades, the number of gastric cancer cases is predicted either to be constant or to continue growing due not only to ageing of the population but also to the increase of new and unusual cases affecting younger people (< 50 years-old), in both low- and high-income countries. Due to its asymptomatic phenotype during the first steps of its development, gastric cancer is mainly associated with a poor prognosis, highlighting the importance of its early detection.
The majority of gastric cancers are adenocarcinoma, resulting from a multistep process initiated by a chronic inflammation preceding atrophic gastritis that evolves through the development of preneoplasia (intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia) to cancer lesions. Presently, gastric cancer is diagnosed by endoscopy, also recommended periodically for the follow-up of patients with premalignant lesions. Unfortunately, no appropriate screening strategies by non-invasive methods are available for large-scale application to detect gastric cancer lesions at the earliest.
Therefore, the discovery of non-invasive biomarkers in liquid biopsies as blood samples to identify the presence of gastric preneoplasia and/or cancer lesions at the earliest, at an asymptomatic stage, is of paramount interest. It is crucial not only for the early detection/prevention of individuals at risk of GC but it will be also useful for patient follow-up to predict disease recurrence/outcome and to monitor treatment, leading hence to improve patient survival.
In a recent study, we analysed the plasma proteome in samples from patients at various stages of the GC process. Using comparative proteomic-based MS and ELISA technologies we characterized two combinations of proteins corresponding to signatures associated with the presence of gastric preneoplasia and cancer lesions.
Based on these data, the objectives of the PREGASIGN project are to validate the diagnostic performance of the identified protein biomarker candidates, as specific signatures to predict the presence of gastric preneoplasia and early gastric cancer lesions on a multicentric cohort of patients, using new multiplex assays specially developed, based on immunodetection methods.
This project includes two cohorts
PREGASIGN#1 established in collaboration with Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) units, the platforms INVOLvE and “Collections santé Humaine de l’Institut Pasteur” CHIP and the participation of the Pôle de Coordination de la Recherche Clinique de l’Institut Pasteur (PC-RC) https://research.pasteur.fr/fr/news/pregasign-signatures-de-biomarqueurs-circulants-pour-la-detection-des-lesions-de-preneoplasie-et-de-cancer-gastrique/
PREGASIGN-EUROP which includes samples from the GASTRO-PRA Cohort (CHU Nantes, France) https://www.chu-nantes.fr/ameliorer-la-prevention-du-cancer-gastrique-un-enjeu-majeur-pour-leurope
The achievement of this project will constitute the first step, upstream the design and development of a diagnostic test that will allow by a non-invasive method to predict the presence of gastric preneoplasia and/or early cancer lesions. Such a diagnostic test could be recommended as a first line of screening for primary prevention of GC high-risk population, upstream further clinical investigation as gastric endoscopy and periodical surveillance of patients.