Abstract
Gastric cancer is ranked as the third death-causing cancer and one of the most incident malignancies worldwide. Although Helicobacter pylori is the most well-established risk factor for the development of this neoplasm, most of the infected individuals do not develop gastric cancer. Two of the main challenges faced by the world’s scientific community in the combat against gastric cancer are the unraveling of its pathogenesis and the identification of novel ways to bring down the mortality. Malignant cell invasion of the non-neoplastic adjacent tissue and metastasis are pivotal events during cancer development and progression. Both processes are facilitated by proteases capable of degrading components of the extracellular matrix, some of which have been associated to clinico-pathological aspects of the disease. Recent studies have suggested the possible connection between H. pylori and the expression of some of these proteases in gastric mucosa. This review summarizes the current knowledge about epidemiological, clinical and biological aspects of gastric cancer; it also discusses the main findings about the involvement of the plasminogen activation system in the development and progression of this disease, as well as its potential repercussions in the clinical setting.
Highlights
In 2012, 915 000 new cases, and 723 000 deaths of gastric cancer (GC) were registered, making it one of the malignant tumors with the highest incidences and mortalities worldwide (Ferlay et al, 2015)
The clinical use of some components of this system has been validated in other cancer types, as it is the case for uPAR and its cognate ligand (uPA) and PAI-1, which has been recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) since 2007, for the identification of lymph node-negative breast cancer patients that would benefit from adjuvant treatment (Jänicke et al, 2001; Look et al, 2002; Harris et al, 2007)
Given that uPAR is a factor that promotes local and distant dissemination of malignant cells, its utilization as prognostic parameter could contribute to the identification of GC patients with more aggressive phenotypes of the disease and, higher risk of either recurrence or metastasis
Summary
Main finding uPAR expression in cancer cells is associated to poor overall survival. It is a parameter independent of clinical variables. Presence of uPAR-positive cancer cells in bone marrow is associated to shorter progression-free and overall survival. 203 Paraffin-embedded Immunohistochemistry Elevated expression of uPAR, uPA tissue and PAI-1 in neoplastic tissue is associated to shorter recurrence-free and overall survival, as well as to other clinico-pathological variables. 101 Paraffin-embedded Immunohistochemistry High uPAR and uPA expression in tissue neoplastic tissue is associated to shorter overall survival. Elevated uPAR mRNA levels in peripheral blood are an independent prognostic parameter for distant metastasis
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
