Molecular alterations in gastric cancer with special reference to the early-onset subtype

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG Vol. 22; no. 8; pp. 2460 - 2474
• Main Authors: Skierucha, Małgorzata, Milne, Anya Na, Offerhaus, G Johan A, Polkowski, Wojciech P, Maciejewski, Ryszard, Sitarz, Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Baishideng Publishing Group Inc 28-02-2016
• Subjects: Adult; Age of Onset; alterations;Chromosomal; Animals; Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics; Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism; cancer;Early-onset; cancer;Molecular; Epigenesis, Genetic; Gastric; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Gene-Environment Interaction; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Heredity; Humans; instability;Singlenucleo; Microsatellite Instability; Middle Aged; Mutation; Pedigree; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Prognosis; Review; Risk Factors; Signal Transduction; Stomach Neoplasms - genetics; Stomach Neoplasms - metabolism; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Early-onset gastric cancer; Epigenetic alterations; Loss of heterozygosity; Molecular alterations; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Chromosomal instability; Microsatellite instability; Gastric cancer
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i8.2460

Currently, gastric cancer(GC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed neoplasms, with a global burden of 723000 deaths in 2012. It is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. There are numerous possible factors that stimulate the procarcinogenic activity of important genes. These factors include genetic susceptibility expressed in a singlenucleotide polymorphism, various acquired mutations(chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability, somatic gene mutations, epigenetic alterations) and environmental circumstances(e.g., helicobcter pylori infection, EBV infection, diet, and smoking). Most of the aforementioned pathways overlap, and authors agree that a clear-cut pathway for GC may not exist. Thus, the categorization of carcinogenic events is complicated. Lately, it has been claimed that research on early-onset gastric carcinoma(EOGC) and hereditary GC may contribute towards unravelling some part of the mystery of the GC molecular pattern because young patients are less exposed to environmental carcinogens and because carcinogenesis in this setting may be more dependent on genetic factors. The comparison of various aspects that differ and coexist in EOGCs and conventional GCs might enable scientists to: distinguish which features in the pathway of gastric carcinogenesisare modifiable, discover specific GC markers and identify a specific target. This review provides a summary of the data published thus far concerning the molecular characteristics of GC and highlights the outstanding features of EOGC.