Stomach or gastric cancer is thought to be triggered by poor diet, and therefore is more common in developing nations. In Australia, there are almost 2,000 cases of stomach cancer, resulting in nearly 1,200 deaths each year.

Gastric cancer incidence varies widely by geographic location with the highest rates being in Asia. The five-year survival rate is only 20% in those people diagnosed in late stages, making gastric cancer the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide.

RESEARCH FOCUS

• searching for the genes responsible for an inherited form of gastric cancer, which has not been studied before