The pathobiological features of gastrointestinal cancers (Review)

Abstract

Abstract. Gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma (GIA) is a common malignant disease worldwide. Its tumorigenesis and progression is a multistage process with the involvement of a multifactorial etiology. Knowledge regarding altered expression of these genes during carcinogenesis may not only provide information about the molecular events during the initiation and progression of cancer, but may also result in the discovery of biological markers for the evaluation of cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In this review, we assessed molecular markers of pathogenesis, invasion, metastasis and prognosis, such as tumor suppressor and metastasis suppressor genes, and angiogenesis, cell adhesion, cell mobility, ER stress, mucin production, threonine protein kinase and REG family protein expression, by the establishment of tissue microarray (TMA) of GIA and immunohistochemistry (IHC) by intermittent microwave irradiation and in situ hybridization (ISH). Finally, we characterized the pathobiological features of Lauren's and WHO subtypes. It was found that the aberrant and cell-specific expression of these molecules is important in the malignant transformation of gastrointestinal epithelium and subsequent progression. These molecules also underlie the histogenic mechanisms of gastric carcinoma according to Lauren's and WHO classification. The combination of TMA, IHC and ISH may be widely applied to screen for molecular markers in GIA.

Ovarian cancer transformation from adenocarcinoma to undifferentiated small cell carcinoma: A case report

“…Multifactorial mechanisms for network formation result in tumorigenesis in cancers and sarcoma by the activation or deactivation of signaling pathways (5,6). In the present study, the pathology indicated a change from moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma to poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma, and to undifferentiated small cell carcinoma.…”

Genetic variability of ERCC1 and ERCC2 genes involved in the nucleotide excision repair pathway influences the treatment outcome of gastric cancer

“…Currently, systemic chemotherapy is the primary means for treatment of advanced gastric cancer, but generated resistance is a major cause of chemotherapy failure. The initiation and progression of gastric cancer is a complex process that involves both genetic and environmental factors (Ludwig and Weinstein, 2005;Yang et al, 2012). Therefore, identification of genetic biomarkers that can predict the prognosis for gastric cancer patients would greatly improve individualized therapy, post-operational treatment, and follow-up strategies.…”

The Dominant Role of IL-8 as an Angiogenic Driver in a Three-Dimensional Physiological Tumor Construct for Drug Testing

“…A critical step in this process is the outgrowth of endothelial cells from preexisting capillary vessels and their migration toward the tumor cells under the stimulation of angiogenic growth factors. 28,29 Circulating endothelial progenitor cells have been found to play a crucial role in sustaining angiogenesis in both primary and metastatic tumors, 30 and high levels of angiogenic factor production have been associated with advanced tumor staging and poor prognosis. [31][32][33] Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A has been identified as the key mediator of tumor-associated angiogenesis; thus, it is the most well-characterized and is the key target in antiangiogenic therapy.…”