Scientists at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) headed a study that discovered four processes by which gastric cancer is formed.

GIS scientists have identified four distinct processes that cause mutations in gastric cancer. The discovery of these processes provides clues to the formation of gastric cancers, paving the way for diagnostics and targeted therapy.

Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide, claiming almost 750,000 lives annually of which 60 percent of those affected are Asians.

The findings have been published online in the December 2012 issue of biological research journal "Genome Biology".