Gastric cancer and the omics

Gastric cancer is a fatal process whose risk factors include infection by Helicobacter pylori, pernicious anemia, nitroso compounds, alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, and male gender. Endoscopic surveillance has defined the histological progression of premalignant to malignant lesions. Nevertheless, gastric tumors exhibit distinct histologic variations, clinical behaviors, and treatment responses. This "intra and interpatient heterogeneity" has obliged us to search for key principles governing gastric cancer evolution. Advanced bioinformatics programs, DNA microarray technology, and functional genomics have helped to integrate the structure, function, and dynamics of biological molecules expressed or secreted by cancer epithelial cells that have modified the classification of gastric cancer.