About the Gastric Cancer Precursor Lesion Registry
- A precursor (pree-KER-ser) means something that is not yet cancer but can become cancer.
- A lesion (LEE-zhun) is an area of tissue that’s not normal. Precursor lesions do not always lead to stomach cancer.
- A cancer registry collects and manages data (information) about people who have cancer. For this registry, we collect and analyze data about people with gastric (stomach) cancers.
The goals of this registry are to:
- Collect data so we can better understand who is at risk for getting gastric cancer.
- Learn more about why people get gastric cancer.
- Find ways to prevent gastric cancer.
MSK is researching what causes gastric cancer in people who have risk factors for this cancer. A risk factor is anything that raises your chances of getting a disease.
Risk factors for stomach cancer include:
- Inflammation (swelling) of the stomach.
- A change in the mucosa (myoo-KOH-suh), which is the lining of the stomach.
Some people with a higher risk for gastric cancer may already have learned they have certain changes in their stomach lining.
These changes are diagnosed by analyzing a tissue sample taken during an upper endoscopy and biopsy. An upper endoscopy is a test to look at your esophagus (food pipe), stomach, and the first part of your small intestine. A biopsy is a procedure to take a tissue sample.
These changes in your stomach lining include:
- Gastric atrophy (GAS-trik A-troh-fee). Inflammation that lasts a long time can make the stomach wall lining thinner. This is called atrophy, also known as atrophic gastritis (ay-TROH-fik gas-TRY-tis).
- Gastric intestinal metaplasia (meh-tuh-PLAY-zhuh). Inflammation that lasts a long time can make the atrophic cells change again. They become more like cells that are supposed to line the intestine, not the stomach. This is called gastric intestinal metaplasia, which is not cancer but it can turn into cancer.
- Dysplasia (dis-PLAY-zhuh). Cells that already changed into intestinal metaplasia are more likely to change again. If they do, it’s called dysplasia. These cells have a high chance of becoming cancer.
You do not need to be a patient at MSK to ask us about joining our registry.
You can join the registry if you have a diagnosis of certain changes in your stomach’s mucosa. They include:
- Gastric atrophy
- Gastric intestinal metaplasia
- Dysplasia
You also can join the registry if you were diagnosed with specific types of early gastric cancer. You can join if you have or had either:
- Adenocarcinoma (A-deh-noh-KAR-sih-NOH-muh)
- A neuroendocrine (NOOR-oh-EN-doh-krin) tumor
As well, if you had an endoscopic or surgical resection at MSK.
Surveys: If we invite you to join the study, you’ll complete a study questionnaire. We’ll invite you to update your responses each year.
Data collection: While you’re in the study, the study team will review your medical records. They’ll get more information about your health and any treatment for this disease. The study team will collect information about any procedures or tests you had, including genetic tests.
Samples: The study team may ask your permission for extra samples. You’ll let your healthcare provider collect extra samples during any of your routine or scheduled blood draws and procedures. For example, if you’re scheduled for an endoscopy or bloodwork, they would take extra samples during those visits. We will not ask you to have any blood draws or procedures that are not part of your standard medical care.
Cost: You will not pay for extra visits or procedures if you join the registry. We will not bill you for any sample collection that’s done just for the registry study.
You’ll only be billed for your regular standard medical care that’s already part of your treatment. This includes blood draws and procedures.
For more information and to see if you’re eligible to join, please fill out our online form. It has questions about your history of endoscopies.
Once we get your form, we’ll contact you about joining the registry.
We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week