Molecular medicine of gastric adenocarcinomas.
Upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract malignancies, including carcinomas of the esophagus, the GI junction and the stomach, are among the most common cancers worldwide. Overall survival is poor because many patients present with locally advanced and often incurable disease. This review focuses on the pathogenesis of adenocarcinomas of the stomach. It summarises recent findings on genetic predisposition to gastric cancer, in particular in relation to germline mutations in the E-cadherin gene. It also describes the molecular basis of sporadic gastric cancer, including alterations in oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes and growth factors, and discusses how these findings might be used in the clinic for improved diagnosis and therapy.
Keller
Gisela
G
Institute of Pathology, Technical University of Munich, Trogerstr. 18, 81675 München, Germany. gisela.keller@lrz.tum.de
Höfler
Heinz
H
Becker
Karl-Friedrich
KF
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery