I think the broader implications of HDGC research are that the small, very early cancers found in the stomachs of HDGC families are rarely seen in the general population (because they are too small to be seen by endoscopy and are asymptomatic). By analysing them we get a unique opportunity to observe the earliest stages of gastric cancer development (which affects >800,000 new people/yr worldwide).
This provides a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the environment triggers cancer development and an opportunity to test and develop new agents for the prevention of many cancer types.
Regards, Parry
Assoc. Prof. Parry Guilford is a Principal Investigator in the Cancer Genetics Laboratory, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, and the Research Director of Pacific Edge Biotechnology Ltd. He completed his MSc at Otago in 1983, and his PhD at Cambridge University in 1989. His research interests include the genetics of inherited cancers, in particular gastric cancer, and the application of gene expression analysis to the diagnosis and management of cancer.
