The gastric microbiome and its influence on the pathogenesis on gastric cancer in Ghana.

Edwin Moses Appiah1 and Dr. Pandam Salifu1

1
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science
and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Keywords: Gastric cancer, 16srRNA, microbiome

Abstract

In Ghana gastric cancer is the 6th most common cancer and the 5th cause of cancer related deaths
(Globocan, 2018). Approximately 907 new cases are recorded every year and whooping 97%
death rate making it the cancer disease with the highest mortality in the country (Globocan,
2018). While Helicobacter pylori infection is the most important risk factor for gastric cancer,
the etiology of the disease has clearly been demonstrated in other studies as multifactorial as
evidenced by the fact that only 1–3% of H. pylori-infected patients develop gastric cancer, and
that progression to the disease in some subjects occurs even after eradication of the bacterium.
Unraveling the microbial composition in the stomach could contribute to the understanding of
key microorganisms involve in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer as well as provide more insight
to the management and treatment of the disease. The aim of the study will be to evaluate the
composition of the gastric microbiome in stomach cancer patients. Eligible participants will be
18 years or older with mild to acute gastric cancer conditions. Participants will be recruited from
various hospitals within and around Kumasi metropolis. Individuals in the control group with a
history of cancer, diabetes mellitus, gastric ulcers, and H. pylori treatment will be excluded.
Gastric mucosal biopsy samples will be obtained using sterilized endoscopy forceps.
Questionnaires will also be administered to record data on their demographic, lifestyle, physical
activity, medical and family history of the participants. Total genomic DNA will be extracted
from the biopsies using suitable DNA extraction kits. V3-V4 region of the 16SrRNA gene will
be amplified using universal primers for this region using standard PCR. Libraries will then be
generated and sequenced. The DADA2 pipeline for microbiome analysis will be employed to the
analyse the sequence data generated. Alpha and beta diversity will be measured, including
richness and evenness. Spearman rank correlation coefficient will be used to assess the
correlation between taxonomic relative abundance. It is expected that the gastric microbiota as
well as it influence on the pathogenesis gastric cancer will be established.