Recent advances in molecular diagnosis and therapy of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignancy and the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death in the world. It is often diagnosed in advanced stages when treatment options are limited, leading to a poor prognosis. During the past 15 years, much has been learnt about the molecular mechanisms of gastric carcinogenesis and the development of metastases. This coincided with the development of new techniques for functional genomics, including both transcriptomics and proteomics, which significantly improve the ability to explore new molecular alterations involved in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. An improved understanding of the molecular pathology and pathogenesis of gastric cancer may lead to a more rapid development of molecular diagnostic and patient tailored therapeutic targets. Copyright (c) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.