Familial Gastric Cancer Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prospective multicentre study to investigate clinical and molecular stratification of patients with genetic predisposition to gastric cancer
IRAS ID
349750
Contact name
Rebecca Fitzgerald
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
Diffuse-type stomach cancer is very aggressive and, by the time it has progressed to a stage when it causes symptoms in a patient, can be difficult to cure. People with a first-degree relative diagnosed with stomach cancer have a higher risk, but it is difficult to precisely estimate this risk. Some people with family history of diffuse-type stomach cancer have a faulty gene identified, usually CDH1, as part of a genetic syndrome called Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Syndrome. These individuals require close monitoring with endoscopy (camera test) and often are recommended to have surgery to remove their stomach in order to prevent them from developing cancer. However, more than half of the people with a faulty CDH1 gene will never develop cancer. Having the stomach removed is a major operation with often serious, life-changing short and long-term consequences, yet it remains the only way to remove the risk of developing stomach cancer in people affected by with Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer. Therefore, it is important to conduct more research to help doctors distinguish between those patients who truly need this operation, and those whose risk can be managed through endoscopic surveillance . We propose to collect clinical information, tissue and blood samples and videos of endoscopic procedures to perform research analyses to improve the knowledge on familial gastric cancer, develop better tests to estimate the cancer risk and new options to prevent cancer from developing and understand the impact of surgery on patients’ lives.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/WM/0166
Date of REC Opinion
22 Oct 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion