Gastric Cancer: Gene and Gene Therapy Beyond

Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths across the world. The prevalence of GC varies in different countries and even in various regions of the same country. GC is often sporadic, and the familial type occurs in approximately 10% of the cases. The main risk factors for GC include age, family history, Helicobacter pylori infection, smoking habits, and genetic factors. One of the important altered genes in GC is p53, which is the most frequently mutated gene in this cancer type. P53 is involved in the cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. Moreover, it is considered to be the cellular gatekeeper for cell growth and division and it is referred as the ‘guardian of genome’. Another important gene involved in GC is CDH1, which encodes the epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) protein. E-cadherin is considered to be the main cause of familial GC. Cadherin is a type of cell adhesion molecule, which represents calcium-dependent adhesion and plays a pivotal role in maintaining adherent junctions in the areas of epithelial cell-cell contact. Furthermore, it is suspected to be a tumor suppressor gene for GC. Gene therapy has been increasingly performed on various GC cell lines, including SGC7901 and animal models, some of which will be reviewed in the present study.