It also opens new avenues for additional research to better understand the biochemical pathways involved in this disease as well as stomach and other cancers. It's very gratifying to have worked in an area for more than 10 years, plugging along, and then be able to implicate a pathway that is important in the pathogenesis of a human disease. The gastric juice is typically full of mucous, and protein leaks through the stomach lining and is lost in the stool.
Patients typically seek medical help because of persistent vomiting and swelling in the legs.
No medical treatment has been effective and removal of the stomach is often required for symptom relief and to prevent the progression to cancer. However, because of a severe underlying lung disease, he could not undergo surgery. The effect of C225 in this patient was quick and impressive, the scientists report. However, his vomiting virtually ceased, and gastric biopsies taken the day before and after revealed a marked reduction in proliferation of surface mucous cells and an increase in levels of gastrin, which prompts development of acid-producing parietal cells. After four weekly injections, the patient was studied again.