Mouse studies hold promise for a simple treatment for an aggressive gastric tumor

Patients with aggressive neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) have limited treatment options and there are few oncologists who are specialized in this relatively rare disease. Normally a total gastrectomy (removal of the stomach) is employed in these cases, with a subsequent dramatic reduction in the quality of life for patients. Now researchers have identified a mutation in the human ATP4a gene that is involved in the gastric acid secretion regulation and has been identified as responsible of an aggressive form of inherited, early-onset gastric NET.