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Zhang Tong

Early detection of stomach cancer could soon be as easy as having a blood test, thanks to technology developed by Chinese scientists.
The simple test achieved nearly 90 per cent accuracy in identifying gastric cancer in a study, according to a paper published in international academic journal Cancer Science on July 22.
Gastric cancer is the world’s fifth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths globally.
That mortality rate is affected in a large way by the lack of early detection. In China, more than 80 per cent of gastric cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and the five-year survival rate is below 30 per cent. But if it is detected early, the survival rate can exceed 90 per cent.
Currently, diagnosis relies mainly on endoscopies and serum markers. However, endoscopies are often uncomfortable for patients and carry the risk of complications, while serum markers only have a detection rate of about 20 per cent.
Addressing these challenges, researchers Wang Hongzhi and Nie Jinfu from the Hefei Cancer Hospital, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Sun Ruifang from the Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital, used AI to develop the non-invasive, pain-free screening method that does not require intubation or imaging and still maintains an accuracy rate of nearly 90 per cent.
This novel method detects cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which originates from both normal and tumour cells and circulates in the blood, released mainly through cell death and active secretion mechanisms. Tumour-derived cfDNA contains specific genetic mutations such as methylation changes, which are critical for early detection.
Usually, bisulfite sequencing is used to detect such methylation changes. But it lacks the precision needed, especially in early disease stages when the proportion of tumour-derived cfDNA is less than 1 per cent.
Instead, the team used AI algorithms in conjunction with the cfMeDIP (cell-free methylated DNA immunoprecipitation) technique, which can detect low initial quantities of DNA, to develop a detection model that identifies 21 methylation biomarkers unique to gastric cancer.


In a study involving 150 gastric cancer patients and 100 healthy controls, this method achieved sensitivities of 88.38 per cent and specificities of 94.23 per cent.
Despite recognised associations between age and gastric cancer risk, the study found no significant differences in cfDNA concentrations across different age groups. Similarly, although men are twice as likely to develop gastric cancer as women, the concentrations of cfDNA did not differ significantly between sexes, showing the universality of this detection method.
The team also validated their model using The Cancer Genome Atlas public data set, which showed that the model could accurately distinguish between tumour and normal samples based on the gene expression and methylation of 21 genes, effective across multiple tumour types.
The study is being applied at the Hefei Cancer Hospital under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“It holds significant potential in comprehending tumour biology and could contribute to the development of diagnostic and prognostic tools in gastric cancer,” the team said in the paper.
However, they also noted that due to the limited survey sample size, the model’s applicability to non-tumorous gastric conditions, such as infections by Helicobacter pylori and the Epstein-Barr virus – both risk factors for gastric cancer – remains uncertain.


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China

Researchers have used AI to develop a simple blood test that can detect early-stage gastric cancer with nearly 90 per cent accuracy


Chinese scientists have used AI to develop a new, simple blood test to improve early diagnosis of gastric cancer.


Cancer

Artificial intelligence

Medicine