China finds new genetic links to stomach cancer

Edited and Translated by Han Shasha, People's Daily Online

Through research with six other Chinese universities and research institutions, Nanjing Medical University recently found two new gene loci that increase susceptibility to stomach cancer.

The research covered more than 10,000 people, including 4,000 patients with stomach cancer. The newly found gene loci within the two chromosomal regions closely relate to stomach cancer. One gene increases the risk of stomach cancer by 41 percent, while the other reduces the risk of developing stomach cancer.

"A 41 percent risk of stomach cancer does not mean the inevitability of getting stomach cancer," said Shen Hongqiu, leader of the research team.

There are more than 20 factors, including diet, lifestyle and emotion, which affect the development stomach cancer, so the study does not imply that people who carry susceptible genes will inevitably suffer from the disease.