Molecular Mechanism for Malignant Progression of Gastric Cancer Within the Tumor Microenvironment.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed at the progressive stage of GC, and progress in the development of effective anti-GC drugs has been insufficient. The tumor microenvironment (TME) regulates various functions of tumor cells, and interactions between the cellular and molecular components of the TME-e.

Bioinformatics Analysis and Validation of Potential Markers Associated with Prediction and Prognosis of Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed at the progressive stage of the disease, and current anticancer drug advancements are still lacking. Therefore, it is crucial to find relevant biomarkers with the accurate prediction of prognoses and good predictive accuracy to select appropriate patients with GC.

Molecular Insight into Gastric Cancer Invasion-Current Status and Future Directions.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. There has been no efficient therapy for stage IV GC patients due to this disease's heterogeneity and dissemination ability. Despite the rapid advancement of molecular targeted therapies, such as HER2 and immune checkpoint inhibitors, survival of GC patients is still unsatisfactory because the understanding of the mechanism of GC progression is still incomplete.

Current status and perspectives of genetic testing in gastrointestinal cancer (Review).

Genetic testing has become widespread in daily medical care for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. However, unlike breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, in which personalized medicine targeting various driver genes is standardized, the incidence of targeted gene abnormalities in GI cancers is low. Nevertheless, such abnormalities may be linked to therapeutic agents and the further development of therapeutic agents for personalized medicine for GI cancers is desired.

The Role of the Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling Pathway in Gastrointestinal Cancers.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has attracted attention as a tumor suppressor because of its potent growth-suppressive effect on epithelial cells. Dysregulation of the TGF-β signaling pathway is considered to be one of the key factors in carcinogenesis, and genetic alterations affecting TGF-β signaling are extraordinarily common in cancers of the gastrointestinal system, such as hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that TGF-β is produced from various types of cells in the tumor microenvironment and mediates extracellular matrix deposition, tumor angiogenesis, the formation of CAFs, and suppression of the anti-tumor immune reaction.

Novel biomarkers for early detection of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Less than half of GC cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage due to its lack of early symptoms. GC is a heterogeneous disease associated with a number of genetic and somatic mutations.

Molecular-targeted therapy toward precision medicine for gastrointestinal caner: Current progress and challenges.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer remains the deadliest cancer in the world. The current standard treatment for GI cancer focuses on 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapeutic regimens and surgery, and molecular-targeted therapy is expected to be a more effective and less toxic therapeutic strategy for GI cancer. There is well-established evidence for the use of epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted and vascular endothelial growth factor-targeted antibodies, which should routinely be incorporated into treatment strategies for GI cancer.

Precision medicine for gastrointestinal cancer: Recent progress and future perspective.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer has a high tumor incidence and mortality rate worldwide. Despite significant improvements in radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy for GI cancer over the last decade, GI cancer is characterized by high recurrence rates and a dismal prognosis. There is an urgent need for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Biomarkers of gastric cancer: Current topics and future perspective.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent malignant types in the world and an aggressive disease with a poor 5-year survival. This cancer is biologically and genetically heterogeneous with a poorly understood carcinogenesis at the molecular level. Although the incidence is declining, the outcome of patients with GC remains dismal.

The significance of scirrhous gastric cancer cell lines: the molecular characterization using cell lines and mouse models.

Scirrhous gastric cancer (SGC) exhibits aggressiveness of the rapid infiltrating tumor cells with abundant fibroblasts. Experimental studies using SGC cell lines have obtained useful information about this cancer. Our literature search divulged a total of 18 SGC cell lines; two cell lines were established from primary SGC and the other lines were established from a metastatic lesion of SGC.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling as therapeutic targets in gastric cancer.

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) regulate a variety of cellular functions, from embryogenesis to adult tissue homeostasis. FGFR signaling also plays significant roles in the proliferation, invasion, and survival of several types of tumor cells. FGFR-induced alterations, including gene amplification, chromosomal translocation, and mutations, have been shown to be associated with the tumor initiation and progression of gastric cancer, especially in diffuse-type cancers.

Molecular targets for the treatment of pancreatic cancer: Clinical and experimental studies.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Although recent therapeutic developments for patients with pancreatic cancer have provided survival benefits, the outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer remain unsatisfactory. Molecularly targeted cancer therapy has advanced in the past decade with the use of a number of pathways as candidates of therapeutic targets.

Sentinel node navigation surgery for gastric cancer: Overview and perspective.

The sentinel node (SN) technique has been established for the treatment of some types of solid cancers to avoid unnecessary lymphadenectomy. If node disease were diagnosed before surgery, minimal surgery with omission of lymph node dissection would be an option for patients with early gastric cancer. Although SN biopsy has been well ascertained in the treatment of breast cancer and melanoma, SN navigation surgery (SNNS) in gastric cancer has not been yet universal due to the complicated lymphatic flow from the stomach.

Recent advances in the HER2 targeted therapy of gastric cancer.

Recent advances in molecular targeted therapies, including targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), had a major forward step in the therapy for gastric cancer patients. Application of HER2-targeted therapies, in particular trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy in metastatic HER2-positive gastric cancers, resulted in improvements in response rates, time to progression and overall survival. Nevertheless, as with breast cancer, many patients with gastric cancer develop resistance to trastuzumab.

Rho/ROCK signaling in motility and metastasis of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent and lethal malignancies worldwide because of high frequency of metastasis. Tumor cell motility and invasion play fundamental roles in cancer metastasis. Recent studies have revealed that the Rho/Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK) pathway plays a critical role in the regulation of cancer cell motility and invasion.

The Role of PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling in Gastric Carcinoma.

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is one of the key signaling pathways induced by various receptor-tyrosine kinases. Accumulating evidence shows that this pathway is an important promoter of cell growth, metabolism, survival, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy. Genetic alterations in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in gastric carcinoma have often been demonstrated.

Umbilical incision laparoscopic surgery with one assist port for an elderly patient with recurrent sigmoid volvulus.

Single-port access laparoscopic surgery has recently emerged as a method to improve morbidity and cosmetic benefit of conventional laparoscopic surgery. Herein, we report the experience of transumbilical incision laparoscopic sigmoidectomy with one assist port in a 71-year-old man who had developed recurrent sigmoid volvulus in these several years since his first visit to the hospital. The patient presented abdominal distension and severe constipation.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 RNAi suppresses gastric cancer metastasis in vivo.

Cancer metastasis remains the primary cause of pain, suffering, and death in cancer patients, and even the most current therapeutic strategies have not been highly successful in preventing or inhibiting metastasis. In most patients with scirrhous gastric cancer (one of the most aggressive of diffuse-type gastric cancer), recurrence occurs even after potentially curative resection, most frequently in the form of peritoneal metastasis. Given that the occurrence of diffuse-type gastric cancers has been increasing, the development of new strategies to combat metastasis of this disease is critically important.

RhoA/ROCK signaling mediates plasticity of scirrhous gastric carcinoma motility.

The small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) Rho and its downstream effector Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) is one of a key mediator involved in controlling focal adhesions and the dynamics of actin stress fibers. The molecular mechanisms for the function of Rho/ROCK pathway leading to the progression in scirrhous gastric carcinoma cells have not been defined. The activation of RhoA in several gastric carcinoma cells was examined.

Synergistic antitumor effects of FGFR2 inhibitor with 5-fluorouracil on scirrhous gastric carcinoma.

Scirrhous gastric carcinoma (SGC) carries the highest mortality because of a frequent metastasis to lymph node (LN). S1, a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) analog, is clinically available for gastric cancer at an advanced stage. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) is required for the proliferation of SGC.

Allelic imbalance at p53 and microsatellite instability are predictive markers for resistance to chemotherapy in gastric carcinoma.

Background: Combined treatment with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (FP chemotherapy) is an effective neoadjuvant regimen for gastric carcinoma. However, it is ineffective in half of all patients. This study tests the hypothesis that genetic markers might identify those patients with gastric cancer who would respond to neoadjuvant FP chemotherapy.

A novel molecular targeting compound as K-samII/FGF-R2 phosphorylation inhibitor, Ki23057, for Scirrhous gastric cancer.

Background & Aims: Scirrhous gastric carcinoma carries the highest mortality of all gastric cancers. The poor prognosis is reported to be associated with K-samII amplification, which encodes fibroblast growth factor receptor type 2 (FGF-R2). Ki23057, a newly developed small molecule-acting K-samII/FGF-R2 autophosphorylation inhibitor, is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that competes with adenosine triphosphate for the binding site.

Establishment of a new scirrhous gastric carcinoma cell line with microsatellite instability.

We report on the establishment of a new scirrhous gastric cancer cell line with microsatellite instability (MSI), designated OCUM-7. This cell line was derived from a primary scirrhous gastric carcinoma. The cells were floating and round shape in culture.

Tranilast (N-3,4-dimethoxycinamoyl anthranilic acid): a novel inhibitor of invasion-stimulating interaction between gastric cancer cells and orthotopic fibroblasts.

Background: Fibroblasts produce various cytokines that affect the invasion ability of cancer cells. We have previously reported that gastric fibroblasts play an important role in the metastatic process of gastric cancer. Tranilast is a clinical drug for inhibition of fibroblast growth.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the breast: report of a case.

We describe herein a case of primary leiomyosarcoma of the breast in a 59-year-old woman. Preoperative clinical examination and cytology findings indicated a benign breast tumor, but intraoperative histopathological examination of the tumor revealed malignant spindle cells, and a modified radical mastectomy was performed. Immunohistochemical analysis subsequently confirmed a diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma.