Blood test for stomach cancer first step to ending all cancer deaths by 2048, says its Singapore-based co-inventor
- Affordable, non-invasive test to detect early-stage stomach cancer launches in Hong Kong in 2020; team behind it aims to expand test to cover 8 major cancers
- This and other novel tests will help end late-stage cancers, hopefully within 30 years, co-founder says; stomach cancer one of biggest cancer killers in Asia
A Singapore-based start-up focused on finding ways to detect cancer in its early stages hopes to launch its first innovation in Hong Kong next year, offering a low-cost and less invasive method of checking for stomach cancer. The blood-based test was approved by Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority in May.
MiRXES, the biotech company behind the GastroClear test, aims to boost patients’ prognosis for survival while reducing the health care burden of treating the disease. Company co-founder Dr Zhou Lihan explained that it is part of the MiRXES mission to see a world free from terminal cancer by 2048.
There are clinical and social benefits to having this test available in Hong Kong, Zhou says, especially since the city does not have a population-wide screening programme for the disease, unlike some of its neighbours.
Stomach or gastric cancer is the sixth most common cancer afflicting Hongkongers – 1,224 new cases were recorded in 2016, according to the Hong Kong Cancer Registry. The illness is also the sixth leading cause of cancer death in the city, with 682 deaths in 2017.
Stomach cancer is prevalent in Asia, particularly South Korea – where it is the most common type of cancer – and Japan. Having too much salt, preserved foods and processed meat in your diet puts you at risk for the disease, as does smoking, drinking and being overweight.