CJO - Abstract - Molecular medicine of gastric adenocarcinomas

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Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine (2005), 7 : 1-13 Cambridge University Press
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005
doi:10.1017/S1462399405009592 (About doi)
Published online by Cambridge University Press 30 Aug 2005
 
Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine (2005), 7:17:1-13 Cambridge University Press
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005
doi:10.1017/S1462399405009592

Review Article

Molecular medicine of gastric adenocarcinomas

Gisela Keller a1c1, Heinz Höfler a1 and Karl-Friedrich Becker a1
a1 Institute of Pathology, Technical University of Munich, Trogerstr. 18, 81675 München, Germany.

Abstract

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.


Key Words: E-cadherin; p53; gastric cancer; familial gastric cancer; tumour suppressor genes; oncogenes; cell adhesion; therapy; genetic predisposition.

Correspondence:
c1 Institute of Pathology, Technical University of Munich, Trogerstr. 18, 81675 München, Germany. Tel: +49 (89) 4140 4592; Fax: +49 (89) 4140 4915; E-mail: gisela.keller@lrz.tum.de

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