Gastroenterology Today Winter 2022

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
A COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION
FOR IMMEDIATE IDENTIFICATION
OF GASTRIC CANCER RISK
Improving gastric cancer survival rates requires timely
detection to enable proactive therapeutic interventions.
Currently, late diagnosis means that only 21 % of UK
patients identified as having gastric cancer survive longer
than five years, but this figure could increase to 65 % with
earlier medical care. 1 However, standard gastrointestinal
diagnostic methods – like endoscopies and biopsies – place
a considerable burden on the healthcare system, highlighting
a need for an efficient investigative pathway for digestive
complaints.
The challenge of diagnosing gastric cancer
Gastric carcinogenesis is a lengthy multi-step process, called the
‘Correa’s Cascade’, 2,3 that begins with chronic H. pylori infection
and progresses through multiple stages of infl ammation, wasting
of healthy mucosa, and propagation of abnormal gastric cells.
There is a small window of opportunity within this disease cycle for
prompt detection and action to prevent the cascade from advancing.
However, the diverse presentation of gastrointestinal disorders makes
early-stage stomach cancer diffi cult to identify. Many patients with
serious pathological changes to their stomach lining have few or no
symptoms, so those most at risk of progression to gastric cancer are
not easily identifi able. 4 Conversely, individuals who present with nonspecifi
c stomach complaints – ranging from mild discomfort to nausea
and vomiting – are often sent straight for endoscopy unnecessarily.
Drawbacks of gastroscopies
The key to cost-effective diagnosis
GastroPanel ® , a simple blood test produced by BIOHIT HealthCare,
measures a combination of these biomarkers – pepsinogen I,
pepsinogen II, gastrin-17 and H. pylori IgG – in order to establish gastric
cancer risk and highlight individuals who would benefi t from further
examination. Initial analysis of gastrointestinal status with GastroPanel
could reduce reliance on precious NHS gastroscopy resources by up
to 90 %, enabling early detection and proactive treatment to reduce
waiting times and improve care pathways for more vulnerable patients.
And, at a cost of just £30 per test, employing GastroPanel in primary
and secondary care settings has the potential to cut annual procedural
costs to only £14.4 million, saving the NHS an incredible £69 million
each year.
To find out more about BIOHIT HealthCare’s GastroPanel®, visit:
https://biohithealthcare.co.uk/biohit-product/gastropanelpepsinogen-i-pepsinogen-ii-h-pylori-igg-and-gastrin-17-elisas/
References
1. Cancer Research UK, https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/healthprofessional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/stomachcancer/survival#heading-Three.
Accessed 25 th October 2022.
2. Correa P, Haenszel W, Cuello C, et al. A model for gastric cancer
epidemiology. Lancet. 1975;2(7924):58-60. doi: 10.1016/s0140-
6736(75)90498-5. PMID: 49653.
3. Correa P. A human model of gastric carcinogenesis. Cancer Res.
1988;48(13):3554-60. PMID: 3288329.
Endoscopy is the standard technique for identifying atrophic gastritis
and related gastric cancer lesions. However, use of gastroscopy as
a fi rst-line diagnostic tool places a signifi cant burden on the NHS,
as this method is resource heavy, labour intensive and tends to be
poorly accepted by patients due to its invasive nature. In addition,
at a cost of £436 per procedure, 5 conservative calculations show
that gastroscopies could be responsible for over £84 million of the
NHS annual spend, based on the estimate that 3,000 diagnostic
oesophagogastroduodenoscopies (OGDs) are performed per 250,000
people each year. 6 With this in mind, researchers have identifi ed
several serological biomarkers that can effectively characterise
key aspects of gastric mucosal health before any more substantial
investigation is required, directing treatment when milder conditions
are indicated and identifying at-risk patients for whom endoscopy may
be necessary.
4. Chapelle, N., Petryszyn, P., Blin, J., et al. A panel of stomachspecifi
c biomarkers (GastroPanel ® ) for the diagnosis of atrophic
gastritis: A prospective, Multicenter Study in a low gastric cancer
incidence area. Helicobacter. 2020;25(5):e12727. doi: 10.1111/
hel.12727.
5. NHS England. 2022/23 National Tariff Payment System: Annex A -
National tariff workbook. https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/
uploads/2020/11/22-23NT_Annex-A-National-tariff-workbook_
Apr22.xlsx. Accessed 10 th November 2022.
6. Beg S, Ragunath K, Wyman A, et al. Quality standards in upper
gastrointestinal endoscopy: a position statement of the British
Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and Association of Upper
Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (AUGIS). Gut.
2017;66(11):1886-1899. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2017-314109.
GASTROENTEROLOGY TODAY - WINTER 2022
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