Metaplasia in the Stomach-Precursor of Gastric Cancer?

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 18; no. 10; p. 2063
• Main Authors: Kinoshita, Hiroto, Hayakawa, Yoku, Koike, Kazuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27.09.2017; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal models; Animals; Atrophy; Biomarkers; Disease Models, Animal; Dysplasia; Epigenesis, Genetic; Gastric cancer; Gastric Mucosa - metabolism; Gastric Mucosa - microbiology; Gastric Mucosa - pathology; Gastritis; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Helicobacter Infections - complications; Helicobacter Infections - microbiology; Helicobacter pylori; Humans; intestinal metaplasia; Intestine; lineage tracing; Metaplasia; Mice; Mucous membrane; Neoplasm Grading; Precancerous Conditions - pathology; Precursors; Review; Signal Transduction; Spasmolytic polypeptide expressing metaplasia (SPEM); stem cells; Stomach; Stomach - metabolism; Stomach - pathology; Stomach Neoplasms - etiology; Stomach Neoplasms - metabolism; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; stem cells; lineage tracing; Helicobacter pylori; gastric cancer; Spasmolytic polypeptide expressing metaplasia (SPEM); intestinal metaplasia
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms18102063

Despite a significant decrease in the incidence of gastric cancer in Western countries over the past century, gastric cancer is still one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Most human gastric cancers develop after long-term infection via the Correa pathway: the progression is from gastritis, atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, to cancer. However, it remains unclear whether metaplasia is a direct precursor of gastric cancer or merely a marker of high cancer risk. Here, we review human studies on the relationship between metaplasia and cancer in the stomach, data from mouse models of metaplasia regarding the mechanism of metaplasia development, and the cellular responses induced by infection.