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Fibrotic cancers such as gastric cancers are highly resistant to conventional therapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are an important part of this resistance. Now, researchers have demonstrated that regorafenib and anti-PD-1 work synergistically to target CAFs, in turn modifying the cancer stroma and reducing fibrotic tumor growth. Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. Diffuse-types GCs (DGCs) are characterized by rapid progression. An important component of fibrotic cancer stroma is cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which are responsible for rapid GC progression and resistance to standard therapies. The interaction between platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) and...

A study reveals new insights into how gastric cancer develops and suggests a preventive treatment. Eunyoung Choi, Ph.D. identified for the first time that Trop2+/CD133+/CD166+ dysplastic stem cells are a key source of clonal evolution of dysplasia to multiple types of gastric cancer. Their investigation further showed that pyrvinium, a commonly prescribed treatment for intestinal pinworms, blocked regeneration of dysplastic stem cells by controlling the CK1a signaling protein in mouse models and in human organoids. "The dysplastic stem cells that we identified are de novo stem cells first present during carcinogenic transition of pre-cancerous metaplasia to dysplasia in both mouse...

CHAMPAIGN, lll. — Researchers report that Helicobacter pylori, the only bacterium known to survive in the harsh environment of the human stomach, directly activates an enzyme in host cells that has been associated with several types of cancer, including gastric cancer. Chronic infection with H. pylori is a well-documented risk factor for several forms of gastric cancer, but researchers have not yet determined the mechanisms by which specific bacterial factors contribute to cancer development. Nearly one-half of the world’s population is infected with H. pylori, and gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. The new study,...