Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer
Published on: September 18, 2020
Genomic Analyses Reveal the Evolving Characteristics of Intestinal Metaplasia and Gastric Cancer
Xianfeng Xu1, Caiwang Yan1,2,3, Lijun Bian1
1Department of Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Biomarkers for Cancer Precision Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Abstract:
Intestinal metaplasia (IM) represents a precancerous condition associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. A better understanding of whether and how precancerous lesions progress to gastric cancer is crucial for patient stratification and personalized prevention. In this study, we reconstruct evolutionary trajectories of genomic alterations in 330 multiregion matched samples of IM and tumors from 93 patients with gastric cancer. Intestinal-type gastric cancer (IGC) exhibited a higher mutation burden than diffuse-type gastric cancer (DGC), notably in genomically stable patients. IM from genomically stable patients carried more mutations associated with alcohol consumption. The 20 significantly mutated genes identified were classified into three evolutionary patterns. "Maintained" genes (TP53, APC, and PIK3CA) were commonly altered in IM and matched gastric cancer samples in both IGC and DGC, whereas CDH1 mutations were specific to DGC. "Maintained" mutations in IM accelerated gastric cancer progression. Alterations in "IM-favored" genes (MUC6, CFTR, BMP6, and MTRR) were associated with IM development but were negatively selected in gastric cancer. Interestingly, MUC6 mutations were enriched in specific pit cells with upregulation of GKN1 and GKN2. The remaining genes were "gastric cancer-favored" and showed high heterogeneity in gastric cancer. These findings illuminate the genomic evolution from IM to IGC or DGC, providing insights that could guide precancerous lesion surveillance and early prevention strategies.
Significance:
Comprehensive genomic characterization uncovers maintained and gained alterations during evolution from intestinal metaplasia to gastric cancer, which could serve as predictive biomarkers to identify individuals at high risk of developing cancer.
More Related Videos
03:05Establishment and Evaluation of a Risk Prediction Model for Pathological Escalation of Gastric Low-Grade Intraepithelial Neoplasia
Published on: February 16, 2024
06:21Multi-Gene Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Detection in Gastric Cancer Based on Ion Semiconductor Sequencing Platform
Published on: May 10, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Gastritis-I: Introduction and Types
Acute gastritis presents as a sudden inflammation triggered by various stressors to the stomach lining, such as exposure to corrosive agents, local irritants like aspirin and other NSAIDs, alcohol consumption, radiation therapy, physical trauma, severe burns, sepsis,...
Evolution of Microbial Genome
Microbiota of the Stomach and Small Intestine
Cellular Adaptation IV: Dysplasia and Metaplasia
Gastritis II: Pathophysiology