Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. GC is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage due to late presentation of symptoms. Therefore, there is a need for establishing more sensitive and specific markers useful in early detection of the disease when a cancer is asymptomatic to improve the diagnostic and clinical decision-making process. Some researchers suggest that chemokines and their specific receptors play an important role in GC initiation and progression via promotion of angiogenesis, tumor transformation, invasion, survival and metastasis as well as protection from host response and inter-cell communication. Chemokines are small proteins produced by various cells such as endothelial cells, fibroblasts, leukocytes, and epithelial and tumor cells. According to our knowledge, the significance of chemokines and their specific receptors in diagnosing GC and evaluating its progression has not been fully elucidated. The present article offers a review of current knowledge on general characteristics of chemokines, specific receptors and their role in GC pathogenesis as well as their potential usefulness as novel biomarkers for GC.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) data published in 2018, gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of death among cancers [1]
Gastric cardia adenocarcinoma shares common characteristics and risk factors with esophageal adenocarcinoma because of the anatomical proximity to the esophagus, while non-cardia cancers are located distally, and their risk factors are more typical of GC [2]
Chen et al assessed the concentrations of CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL5, CXCL8, CXCL11, and CXCL13 in tumor drainage blood and peripheral blood from relapse-free GC patients and found that post-treatment levels were lower in comparison to pre-treatment concentrations [16]
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) data published in 2018, gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of death among cancers [1]. The most common type of GC is adenocarcinoma—a malignant epithelial tumor with glandular origin It is classified as cardia and non-cardia adenocarcinoma. A study by Hu et al evaluating the utility of CA 72-4 as a screening tool for GC in a healthy population showed that the marker may not be effective in asymptomatic individuals due to low positive predictive values [6]. Another classical tumor marker for GC is CEA, whose levels may be elevated in diseases such as GC, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, or as a result of inflammation. Some authors indicate that chemokines may be a group of such biochemical markers, and more intensive research on these molecules is required [8]
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