Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have made a major discovery that could change how doctors treat stomach cancer.
The study found that nerves in the digestive system—sometimes called the “second brain”—play a surprising role in helping stomach cancer grow and resist treatment. These nerves, known as enteric neurons, seem to make cancer cells more dependent on fats like fatty acids and cholesterol to survive.
This discovery offers new hope for more effective treatments. Scientists found that when cancer cells were exposed to these gut nerves, they became much more reliant on fats. By blocking the cells’ ability to use cholesterol, researchers were able to increase cancer cell death by over six times. The study was published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Stomach cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer and is often diagnosed at a late stage. This makes it hard to treat and lowers the chances of survival. What makes this research exciting is that it doesn’t just focus on the cancer cells alone—it also looks at how the surrounding environment, including nerves, affects cancer growth.
To study this, the research team created a lab model that mimics real human tumors. They grew stomach cancer organoids—tiny 3D models of tumors—from patient tissue samples and co-cultured them with enteric neurons. This setup showed how the presence of nerves changed the behavior of cancer cells, making them crave fats for energy.
The scientists used gene-editing tools to study around 20,000 genes in gastric cancer cells. They identified two key genes—ACACA and LSS—that help the cells process fatty acids and cholesterol. These genes act like power plants for the cancer, allowing it to grow and survive. When the team blocked these pathways in mice, tumor growth slowed by about 65%.
In the lab model with human cancer tissue and gut nerves, the scientists applied a cholesterol-blocking drug. The result? The treatment was 6.3 times more effective at killing cancer cells compared to when nerves weren’t involved.
This shows that cancer cells become more vulnerable when they are heavily reliant on fats, especially in the presence of gut nerves.
According to Professor Alan Wong, who led the study, this research proves that stomach cancer can be made weaker by targeting how it uses fats, especially cholesterol. He also noted that these findings can help doctors predict which patients will respond best to certain treatments.
Professor Leung Suet-yi, who co-led the study, said that using patient-derived tissue helped the team learn how enteric neurons shape cancer cell metabolism. This opens the door for more personalized treatments, where therapies are chosen based on the unique environment of each patient’s tumor.
The team believes this approach could be useful for other cancers where nerves play a role, like pancreatic and liver cancer. They’ve already applied for a patent on their discovery and plan to study more cancer types using the same model.
This breakthrough not only gives doctors a new target for drug development but also helps in building systems to match patients with the best treatment plans. It marks a promising step forward in the fight against stomach cancer and possibly other cancers influenced by nerves.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing higher intake of dairy foods linked to higher prostate cancer risk.
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