Gastrin - active participant or bystander in gastric carcinogenesis?

• Published in: Nature reviews. Cancer Vol. 6; no. 12; pp. 936 - 946
• Main Authors: Watson, Susan A, Grabowska, Anna M, El-Zaatari, Mohamad, Takhar, Arjun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.12.2006
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - therapeutic use; Apoptosis; Cancer Vaccines - therapeutic use; Care and treatment; Cell Differentiation; Cell Movement; Cell receptors; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - metabolism; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - pathology; Gastrin; Gastrin-Releasing Peptide - metabolism; Gastrins - antagonists & inhibitors; Gastrins - genetics; Gastrins - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Health aspects; Helicobacter Infections - complications; Helicobacter Infections - metabolism; Humans; Mice; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasms, Experimental - metabolism; Neovascularization, Pathologic - metabolism; Physiological aspects; Precancerous Conditions - metabolism; Precancerous Conditions - pathology; Risk Factors; Somatostatin - metabolism; Stomach cancer; Stomach Neoplasms - blood supply; Stomach Neoplasms - drug therapy; Stomach Neoplasms - etiology; Stomach Neoplasms - metabolism; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 1474-175X; 1474-1768
• DOI: 10.1038/nrc2014

Gastrin is a pro-proliferative, anti-apoptotic hormone with a central role in acid secretion in the gastric mucosa and a long-standing association with malignant progression in transgenic mouse models. However, its exact role in human gastric malignancy requires further validation. Gastrin expression is tightly regulated by two closely associated hormones, somatostatin and gastrin-releasing peptide, and aspects of their interaction may be deregulated during progression to gastric adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, agonists and antagonists of the receptors for all three hormones have shown modest clinical efficacy against gastric adenocarcinoma, which might provide useful information on the future combined use of these agents.