Clinical and biological markers in gastric cancer: update and perspectives.

Gastric cancer is the second cause of death from cancer worldwide and the only chance to reach better outcomes lays on an early diagnosis. The need for non-invasive, low-cost tests is invoked also in countries in which imaging and endoscopic screening have already showed the ability to improve early diagnosis and overall survival. Genomic medicine could allow a better understanding of regulatory pathways driving the development and growth of gastric cancer and the characterization of specific molecular targets actually stimulate new drug developments. The knowledge of the role of Helicobacter pylori (HP) in gastric tumor pathogenesis has put new insides in the understanding of this peculiar disease and enriched the field of gastric biomarkers.