New marker uses tomography to refine gastric cancer prognosis

Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil, have identified a new biomarker that may help determine the prognosis for patients with gastric cancer, the fifth most common type of cancer worldwide. The team identified a variable that combines data on the radiodensity of visceral fat and muscle by analyzing images from computed tomography (CT) scans, a routine examination for these patients. This variable can distinguish those at higher risk of unfavorable disease progression.