Integrated apPROach towards gastric cancer control. Environmental, genetic and prognostic factors: the global StoP Consortium. (PRO-StoP)
ProjectGastric cancer (GC) remains a major cause of cancer mortality worldwide despite a substantial decline in incidence over recent decades. Importantinequalities persist in GC incidence, exposure to risk factors, access to early diagnosis, management and survival across populations. At the same time,prevention, risk stratification and prognosis remain largely fragmented across environmental, genetic and clinical domains, limiting the development ofeffective personalized approaches to GC control.
This project aims to advance GC prevention and management through an integrated research framework combining epidemiology, causal inference,genomics and prognostic modelling. The project builds on the global StoP (Stomach Cancer Pooling) Consortium, the largest international collaborativeplatform dedicated to GC epidemiology and prevention, which includes more than 35 case-control and cohort studies from Europe, Asia and the Americas,with over 13000 cases and 35000 comparison subjects and provides a unique resource of epidemiological, biological and genomic data. Clinical andprognostic investigations will additionally leverage data from the Italian Research Group for Gastric Cancer (GIRCG), a multidisciplinary network of 27centres, together with collaborating institutions in Japan and South Korea.
The project will investigate environmental, behavioural, biological and genetic determinants of GC risk and outcome. Particular attention will be devoted tohealthy and sustainable dietary patterns, population disparities and disease heterogeneity. An innovative causal transportability framework will be developedto reassess the contemporary impact of major GC risk factors under current exposure distributions and changing population characteristics, providingupdated estimates of attributable burden and prevention priorities. Integrated models combining polygenic risk scores and environmental exposures will bedeveloped to improve risk prediction and evaluate their potential role in personalized prevention and risk-adapted screening strategies. In parallel,international clinical datasets will be used to investigate survival disparities across populations and to develop refined prognostic models integrating clinical,environmental and genetic determinants.
By combining environmental, behavioural, biological, genomic and clinical information within a single framework, the project will provide global evidence onGC etiology, prevention and prognosis. The expected outcomes include improved risk stratification, more accurate prediction and prognostic models, better understanding of international differences in GC burden and survival, and evidence to support targeted prevention and screening strategies. Ultimately, theproject will contribute to reducing the burden of GC and inform prevention and management policies in Italy and globally.
This project aims to advance GC prevention and management through an integrated research framework combining epidemiology, causal inference,genomics and prognostic modelling. The project builds on the global StoP (Stomach Cancer Pooling) Consortium, the largest international collaborativeplatform dedicated to GC epidemiology and prevention, which includes more than 35 case-control and cohort studies from Europe, Asia and the Americas,with over 13000 cases and 35000 comparison subjects and provides a unique resource of epidemiological, biological and genomic data. Clinical andprognostic investigations will additionally leverage data from the Italian Research Group for Gastric Cancer (GIRCG), a multidisciplinary network of 27centres, together with collaborating institutions in Japan and South Korea.
The project will investigate environmental, behavioural, biological and genetic determinants of GC risk and outcome. Particular attention will be devoted tohealthy and sustainable dietary patterns, population disparities and disease heterogeneity. An innovative causal transportability framework will be developedto reassess the contemporary impact of major GC risk factors under current exposure distributions and changing population characteristics, providingupdated estimates of attributable burden and prevention priorities. Integrated models combining polygenic risk scores and environmental exposures will bedeveloped to improve risk prediction and evaluate their potential role in personalized prevention and risk-adapted screening strategies. In parallel,international clinical datasets will be used to investigate survival disparities across populations and to develop refined prognostic models integrating clinical,environmental and genetic determinants.
By combining environmental, behavioural, biological, genomic and clinical information within a single framework, the project will provide global evidence onGC etiology, prevention and prognosis. The expected outcomes include improved risk stratification, more accurate prediction and prognostic models, better understanding of international differences in GC burden and survival, and evidence to support targeted prevention and screening strategies. Ultimately, theproject will contribute to reducing the burden of GC and inform prevention and management policies in Italy and globally.