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Mutations that accrue through life set the stage for stomach cancer

Comprehensive maps of mutations in healthy and diseased gastric tissue give clues about how cancer arises and could inform early-detection strategies.
By
  1. Callum Oddy

    1. Callum Oddy is at the UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6DD, UK.

  2. Marnix Jansen

    1. Marnix Jansen is at the UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6DD, UK.

For decades, scientists have understood the importance of mutations in cancer development, also known as carcinogenesis. What has been less clear is the part played by mutations in normal tissues in setting the stage for cancer to evolve. As we age, we accrue mutations: they can appear as a result of insults (for example, by-products of normal metabolism that can damage DNA) or through errors in DNA replication as part of the normal cell cycle. These mutations can bring about changes to normal cells. And by understanding how and why mutations arise, powerful insights into processes such as carcinogenesis and ageing can be derived. Writing in Nature, Coorens et al.1 report an analysis of human stomach tissues that charts the mutational landscape across normal, precancerous and cancerous stages.

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Nature 640, 322-323 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00803-y

References

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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