title: Historical Perspective on Familial Gastric Cancer.
abstract: Gastric cancer is a common disease worldwide, typically associated with acquired chronic inflammation in the stomach, related in most instances to infection byHelicobacter pylori. A small percentage of cases occurs in familial clusters, and some of these can be linked to specific germline mutations. This article reviews the historical background to the current understanding of familial gastric cancer, focuses on the entity of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer, and also reviews the risks for gastric cancer related to a number of other familial genetic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Division of GI, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: C Richard
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Boland
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Yurgelun
keywords: DGC, diffuse gastric cancer; Diffuse Gastric Cancer; E-cadherin; FAP, familial adenomatous polyposis; GAPPS; GAPPS, gastric adenocarcinoma and proximal polyposis of the stomach; Gastric cancer; H pylori; HDGC, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer; Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome; LBC, lobular breast cancer; Li-Fraumeni Syndrome; Lynch Syndrome; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome