Stomach cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the lining of the stomach. Also, known as Gastric cancer, it affects the elderly more than the adult. According to the American Cancer Society, about 6 of every 10 people diagnosed with stomach cancer each year are 65 or older. Also, the lifetime risk of developing stomach cancer is higher in men (about 1 in 101) than in women (about 1 in 155).

A health expert, speaking to a leading media house, emphasized five common symptoms of stomach cancer that should not be ignored:

1. Unexplained weight loss: Losing weight without trying or experiencing an unexplained drop in appetite, which may signal cancer progression.

2. Pain in the upper part of the abdomen: Persistent or occasional pain in the stomach area, often after eating, can become more severe as the condition progresses.

3. Frequent vomiting after meals: Nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, may occur especially after meals and is linked to cancer blocking or irritating the stomach.

4. Vomiting blood, which may appear coffee-colored: This can indicate bleeding in the stomach, often caused by ulcers or tumors, and requires immediate medical attention.

5. Black, tarry stools: This occurs when blood from the stomach is digested and passed through the intestines, signaling potential internal bleeding

There are also other concerning signs that should not be overlooked such as jaundice, unexplained weight loss, early onset of diabetes, dark stools, and loss of appetite. Health experts strongly advise seeking immediate medical attention if you notice any of these symptoms. If you or a loved one experience these signs, it's crucial to visit a physician for a thorough evaluation to rule out serious underlying health conditions.

How Does Stomach Cancer Spread?

Oncologist Dr Pankaj Kumar Pande, Director–Surgical Oncology, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi explained that this form of cancer spreads through three main pathways: Direct spread, lymphatic spread, and bloodstream.

1. Direct Spread: In its early stages, stomach cancer can invade nearby tissues and grow into the deeper layers of the stomach or spread to surrounding organs such as the oesophagus, liver, pancreas, or intestines.

2. Lymphatic Spread: Cancer cells can travel through the lymphatic system. The most common areas affected are the regional lymph nodes near the stomach, particularly those around the liver and diaphragm.

3. Bloodstream: "Cancer cells can enter the bloodstream and travel to distant parts of the body," which is a common route for stomach cancer to metastasize to distant organs.

He further explained that cancerous cells spread from the original tumour to other parts of the body through a process called Metastasis. The most common sites for the spread are the liver, lymph nodes, peritoneum, lungs, bones, and ovaries.

Particulate matter sized under 2.5 microns or 0.0025 millimeters (PM2.5) accounted for the largest share of air pollution-induced cancer cases worldwide, according to a new study.

The study, published in the journal Nature Health, showed that PM2.5 was attributable to 8.82 million of the 109 million cancer cases identified between 2000 and 2020. PM2.5 exposure was the dominant contributor to cancers of the respiratory, reproductive and endocrine systems.

What Did The Study Find?

Ambient air pollution is known to pose a global threat to public health. Although the carcinogenic potential of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a growing concern, comprehensive global assessments of their cancer risks remain limited.

The study, led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, evaluated the effects of long-term exposure to PM2.5, O3 and NO2 on cancer incidence and quantified their attributable burdens worldwide, encompassing 109 million cases from 952 locations between 2000 and 2020.

The results identified PM2.5 as the dominant contributor. The researchers found that globally, each 10 microgram per cubic meter increase in PM2.5, ozone and nitrogen dioxide levels was associated with an increased risk of cancer by 16 per cent, 4.23 per cent and 11.7 per cent, respectively.

Exposure to nitrogen dioxide was attributable to 6.67 million incident cases, while exposure to ozone was attributable to about 2.6 million incident cases during the study period. Women were found to be consistently more vulnerable to most malignancies.

PM2.5 Linked to Cancers Beyond the Lungs

The study also showed that PM2.5-related cancer-inducing gene mutations extend beyond the respiratory system, particularly to cancers of the thyroid, esophagus, colon and rectum, and breast.

Further, each 10 microgram per cubic meter increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 17.9 per cent higher risk of kidney cancer and a 21.1 per cent higher risk of bladder cancer.

Biologically, PM2.5 exerts broad cancer-related impacts, possibly due to its small size and its ability to drive multiple processes, including systemic oxidative stress, DNA damage and immune dysregulation, the researchers said.

Study Uses Global Cancer Data

The study uses high-quality, globally representative cancer datasets involving populations from low-, middle- and high-income countries and therefore ensures generalizability of the findings, the researchers said.

"These findings provide critical impetus for public health policy initiatives aimed at mitigating the global cancer burden,” said the researchers in the paper.

Air Pollution and Cancer Risk

According to WHO data, almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures.

In 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified outdoor (ambient) air pollution as a Group 1 carcinogen, primarily linked to lung cancer.

As per an April 2026 study by The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the risks associated with air pollution are similar to those caused by smoking tobacco. Exposure to air pollution can lead to cancer, stroke, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and other health issues.

Beyond lung cancers, air pollution has been linked to breast, colorectal, liver, kidney, brain, cervical and ovarian cancers, as well as childhood leukaemia.

Studies also suggest that long-term exposure to high levels of PM2.5 may be associated with a 21% increase in the risk of dying from cancer, and new evidence suggests that the risk of dying from air pollution exposure is increased for lung, breast, liver, colorectal and kidney cancers.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tivicay PD tablets for oral suspension (dolutegravir) to treat HIV infection in babies.

Developed by ViiV Healthcare, Tivicay and Tivicay PD were previously approved for adults and children older than four weeks.

Now, Tivicay PD has been approved for newborns from birth up to four weeks of age weighing at least 2 kg, in combination with other antiretroviral agents.

How Does Tivicay Work?

Tivicay and Tivicay PD contain dolutegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor used in combination with other antiretroviral agents to treat HIV.

Integrase inhibitors inhibit HIV integrase by binding to the integrase active site and blocking the strand transfer step of retroviral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integration, which is essential for the HIV replication cycle.

Also read: US Measles Outbreak: Pennsylvania Reports First Deaths Of 2026 As Trump Pushes Back On Vaccines

What’s The Evidence For Tivicay PD In Newborns?

The FDA approval was based on data from the IMPAACT 2023 study, in which 48 newborns exposed to HIV-1 and weighing at least 2 kg received Tivicay PD from birth for up to six weeks, in combination with standard-of-care antiretroviral medications to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.

The newborns were followed for 16 weeks. Results showed that Tivicay PD drug levels in newborns were similar to those associated with efficacy in adults.

Importantly, the drug’s safety profile in newborns was also similar to that observed in older pediatric and adult patients.

FDA Priority Review

Read More: Reducing Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission To Zero Key To End AIDS In India: Experts

In June, the FDA accepted a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Tivicay PD that would extend its use to newborns from birth. The agency granted the application Priority Review with a PDUFA action date of August 25, 2026.

"Early HIV treatment can help shape a child's future, yet newborns have historically had the fewest age-appropriate treatment options," said Jean van Wyk, chief medical officer at ViiV Healthcare, at the time.

Who Should Avoid Tivicay or Tivicay PD?

Patients should not receive Tivicay or Tivicay PD if they have had previous allergic reactions to the drug or if they are also receiving dofetilide.

Serious allergic reactions have been reported. Patients should be monitored for liver damage. Immune reconstitution syndrome has also been reported in patients treated with combination antiretroviral therapy.

Taking Tivicay or Tivicay PD with certain other medications may cause the drug to stop working against HIV or lead to serious side effects. Patients or their caregivers should tell their healthcare provider about all medications they are taking before starting Tivicay or Tivicay PD.

Tivicay tablets and Tivicay PD tablets for oral suspension are not substitutable on a milligram-per-milligram basis.

What Is HIV?

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the body's immune system, increasing the chances of developing serious infections or cancer. Without treatment, HIV can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

There is no cure for HIV, but prevention and treatment options are available.

Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

Pediatric HIV remains a global issue, with children disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. The latest statistics show there are 1.7 million children living with HIV, and the majority of AIDS-related deaths among children still occur during the first five years of life.

Major obstacles persist for children, such as continued mother-to-child transmission, the availability of HIV testing, slow initiation of treatment, and poor availability of optimized pediatric formulations of antiretrovirals, according to UNAIDS.

An HIV-positive mother can pass the virus to her baby during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding, but proper medical care lowers this risk to less than 1%.

The deaths of three patients in experimental gene-editing and cell-therapy trials in China, including two children, have raised grave concerns about patient safety, transparency and oversight in the country's clinical-trial system.

The three deaths occurred in separate investigator-initiated trials (IITs), which are studies led by researchers or medical institutions rather than conducted through the conventional drug-development pathway.

The cases have come to light only months after the deaths, prompting US lawmakers to ask the FDA to scrutinise clinical data generated in China more closely.

Three Patients Died In Separate Experimental Trials

One case involved a 6-year-old girl with Snijders Blok-Campeau syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder. She died seven days after receiving an experimental gene-editing treatment at Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai in May 2025.

Reports said the treatment was delivered into the spinal fluid, and the hospital's ethics board later determined that the death was definitely related to the treatment.

A second death involved a boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who received HuidaGene Therapeutics' experimental CRISPR-based therapy. He died in August 2025 after developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during a severe immune reaction following a high dose of the viral-vector treatment. The company disclosed the death in August 2026 after questions from reporters.

The third case involved a man in his 50s with scleroderma, who died in March 2026 after receiving RiboX Therapeutics' experimental in-vivo CAR-T therapy.

RiboX had announced FDA clearance to begin testing the treatment in the US shortly before the death became public.

Also read: Early Trial Examines A One-Time Treatment That Could Replace Statins To Manage High Cholesterol: Study

Why Gene Therapy Can Trigger Serious Reactions?

High doses can further increase this risk. In the HuidaGene case, the child developed ARDS during what the company described as a severe immune reaction. Such reactions can cause widespread inflammation and damage organs, making them potentially life-threatening.

Gene editing also carries another category of risk: the treatment is intended to alter genetic material, so researchers must carefully assess whether editing occurs only at the intended target and whether the delivery system itself creates additional risks.

Also read: UK Plans £22 Million Mini Human Organs Project To Cut Down Animal Testing In Science

Bigger Concern Is Trial Oversight

The deaths have attracted particular attention because they occurred in trials initiated by investigator, which have historically offered researchers a faster route to testing experimental therapies.

Unlike conventional clinical trials, these studies have operated under a different regulatory framework in China. Reports have raised concerns about whether independent safety monitoring was adequate in some cases.

For example, the HuidaGene trial did not have an independent data safety monitoring board, according to reporting by STAT. The study enrolled four boys, and the child who died was the fourth participant to receive treatment and received the highest dose administered in the trial.

US Lawmakers Are Calling For Greater Scrutiny

The cases have prompted Representatives John Moolenaar and Ben Cline to ask the FDA to stop accepting Chinese clinical-trial data for US drug applications unless the agency has recently inspected the trial site.

In a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, the lawmakers said, “American families deserve confidence that the treatments approved in our country are supported by data produced with rigor, ethics, and accountability.”