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Gene variation may help identify gastric cancer risk

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – There could be a way to catch stomach cancer before it develops in at-risk patients.

Dr. Omar Llaguna, a surgical oncologist with Memorial Healthcare System, said researchers have identified a gene variation in patients with the H-pylori bacteria.

H-pylori which grows in the membrane that lines the stomach and increases the risk of certain types of stomach cancer.

“When patients undergo endoscopy for gastritis, reflux it’s very common that they’ll undergo a biopsy to see if they’re H-pylori positive and what this study is showing is that there is a subset of patients that actually have a specific immune response to that infection that they can identify which one of those has such a strong response that they’re actually at higher risk for gastric cancer. So what does that mean? We could possibly self-select patients who would benefit from screenings given their higher risk for gastric cancer,” he said

While rates are low here in the U.S. Dr. Llaguna said worldwide gastric cancer is the second leading cause of death.

And a recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found a link between COVID infection and  severe croup.

Croup is a common illness in babies and young children that can lead to troubled breathing, a bark-like cough and raspy or hoarse voice.

Researchers monitored 75 young patients with croup caused by COVID and found that 80 percent of cases occurred during the omicron variant spike.

Evidence suggests the omicron variant is more likely to infect the upper airway than other variants, leading to the spike in croup

Only 12 percent of children from the study were hospitalized and under half of those patients were admitted to the I.C.U.


About the Authors
Kristi Krueger headshot

Kristi Krueger has built a solid reputation as an award-winning medical reporter and effervescent anchor. She joined Local 10 in August 1993. After many years co-anchoring the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., Kristi now co-anchors the noon newscasts, giving her more time in the evening with her family.

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