The researchers also found that the two tumour types responded differently to chemotherapy treatment. The chemotherapy drugs 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin were more effective in treating intestinal tumours, while diffuse tumours responded better to the drug cisplatin
The published findings could in the future help doctors to select the most effective treatment for each patient.
Senior author of the study, Professor Patrick Tan, said: "Our study is the first to show that a proposed molecular classification of gastric cancer can identify genomic subtypes that respond differently to therapies, which is crucial in efforts to customize treatments for patients."
Nell Barrie, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said "Doctors are moving away from a 'one size fits all' approach to treating each type of cancer, and this study suggests that it could be possible to tailor treatment for people with stomach cancer. It's only by understanding the biology of the disease that we can make sure each patient will get the treatment that works best for them in the future."
