title: Predictive biomarkers along gastric cancer pathogenetic pathways.
abstract: Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer all over the world. Unfortunately, several gastric cancers are diagnosed in an advanced stage and chemotherapy and/or target therapies remain the only options to treat patients. Areas covered: Herein we evaluate the new molecular proposal of gastric cancer classification, offering the possibility to recognize different pathogenetic mechanisms and molecular biomarkers potentially useful for target therapies. Expert commentary: The possibility of introducing new specific tests for identification of molecular biomarkers critical for targeted therapies response represents the new frontier in the selection of gastric cancer patients to improve their survival. Besides HER2, already used in clinical settings as a target biomarker for biological therapy in gastric cancer patients with tissue cancer cells overexpressing HER2, other promising target biomarkers which are deregulated in gastric cancer, such as MET and FGFR, could be identified in tissue and then used for therapeutic purposes. In addition immunotherapy represents the most promising possibility of advanced gastric cancer treatment. In particular, as in other solid tumors, PD-1/PDL1 pathway has emerged in several clinical trials as an interesting therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: a Pathology Unit, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine , Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Iacopo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Panarese
authors.affiliation: b Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal and Experimental Medicine 'F. Magrassi' , Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Vita
authors.affiliation: a Pathology Unit, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine , Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ronchi
authors.affiliation: c Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine , Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: d General Surgery Unit, Department of Anesthesiology , Surgery and Emergency, Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alfano
authors.affiliation: e Department of Internal Medicine , Surgical, Neurological Metabolic Disease and Geriatric Medicine, Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Natale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Di Martino
authors.affiliation: a Pathology Unit, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine , Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.|f Pathology Unit, Istituto dei tumori 'Fondazione G. Pascale'.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zito Marino
authors.affiliation: a Pathology Unit, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine , Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferraraccio
authors.affiliation: a Pathology Unit, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine , Università della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli,' , Naples , Italy.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
keywords: Epstein-Barr virus; HER-2; PD-1/PD-L1; gastric cancer; immunotherapy; microsatellite instability; molecular classification; predictive biomarkers; the Cancer Genome Atlas