REVIEW

Cell Research, 15(4):247-254, Apr 2005

Epigenetic alterations in gastric carcinogenesis

In-Seon CHOI, Tsung-Teh WU^*

Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

Correspondence: Tsung-Teh WU 713-745-4977 (phone) 713-792-4049 (fax) twu@mdanderson.org

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Abstract

Gastric cancer is believed to result in part from the accumulation of multiple genetic alterations leading to oncogene overexpression and tumor suppressor loss. Epigenetic alterations as a distinct and crucial mechanism to silence a variety of methylated tissue-specific and imprinted genes, have been extensively studied in gastric carcinoma and play important roles in gastric carcinogenesis. This review will briefly discuss the basic aspects of DNA methylation and CpG island methylation, in particular the epigenetic alterations of certain critical genes implicated in gastric carcinogenesis and its relevance of clinical implications.

Keywords: epigenetic alterations, gastric carcinogenesis, chronic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia/adenoma, adenocarcinoma.