Identification of AR-positive gastric carcinomas in gastric biopsies may warrant a more aggressive therapeutic approach and anti-androgen or AR-targeted agents may represent a novel strategy in tackling this devastating malignancy.

EGFR as well as HER-2 and COX-2 overexpression represent important alterations that are related to the molecular pathways underpinning colorectal carcinogenesis. Further investigation is required to evaluate the impact of these markers on the management of patients with colorectal cancer.

Our findings indicate that: i) HSP27 is commonly expressed in normal gastric epithelium where it seems to exert a protective role; and ii) HSP27 is involved in gastric carcinogenesis and its expression appears to be associated with parameters of unfavorable prognosis and shorter overall survival.

Colon cancer is among the most common cancers and the third cause of cancer deaths worldwide. If detected at an early stage, treatment might often lead to cure. The present review adduces the so far studied alterations in the expression of genes, as well as polymorphisms of genes engaged in DNA repair systems, with particular emphasis on indirect ones that are correlated with colorectal cancer. Such aberrations could be linked to an increased risk for the development of colorectal cancer and might serve as potential targets in the areas of prevention and therapy.

Autophagy is a basic catabolic process closely associated with degradation of cellular components. The role of autophagy in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains controversial. The mechanism of autophagy has been identified as protecting mechanism against tumorigenesis by isolation of damaged organelles or as cytoprotective provides energy in hypoxic regions of CRC tumors. Mutations in proto-oncogenes, such as RAS and BRAF, have been associated with autophagy initiation through signaling pathways of BRAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR. A combination therapy of chemotherapeutic agents and autophagy inhibitors such as hydroxychloroquine or immunotherapy might represent a major step that could be evaluated as a putative novel therapeutic strategy in CRC patients.