Fact 5: The World of Gastric Cancer Subtypes
Gastric cancer is as complex as any medical condition can get. It’s not a single, easily classified disease but a plethora of nuanced subtypes. These subtypes don’t just exist for classification’s sake; they can significantly impact treatment choices and prognosis.
One could liken gastric cancer to a mosaic, with each tiny piece representing a distinct subtype. These pieces, when put together, present the full picture of the disease. Yet, each shard has its own intricacies. The main subtypes are the diffuse and intestinal ones. The intestinal type grows slowly over time, taking years to develop, often arising from chronic gastritis or stomach inflammation. It tends to have clear boundaries and is most commonly seen in older individuals.
On the contrary, the diffuse subtype, as its name suggests, diffuses or spreads more widely. What makes this type especially worrisome is its unpredictability. It doesn’t necessarily form a specific tumor or mass, often lurking undetected, which can make diagnosis and subsequent treatments more challenging.
Research has unveiled the role of HER2 – a protein that can speed up cancer cell growth. Some stomach cancer patients exhibit high HER2 levels, offering a potential target for treatment. The discovery of such proteins and understanding their role in gastric cancer’s progression has paved the way for targeted therapies. This precision medicine, which focuses on specific molecular characteristics of tumors, has shown promise, especially for those with elevated HER2.(5)
