Differential gene expression pattern in early gastric cancer by an integrative systematic approach

To elucidate the molecular basis of early gastric cancer (EGC), the genome-wide expression pattern of cancer and normal tissues from 27 patients were analyzed by a microarray-based method. Using an integrative systematic bioinformatics approach, we classified the differentially expressed genes in EGC. Interestingly, the more highly expressed genes in EGC exhibited the most significant correlation with cell migration and metastasis. This implies that, even at the early stage of gastric cancer, the molecular properties usually observed in late-stage cancer are already present. Furthermore, we have found a novel association between the expression pattern and molecular pathways of EGC and estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha)-negative breast cancer through cross-experimental analysis. These results provide new insights into the biological properties of EGC, as well as yielding useful basic data for the study of molecular mechanisms of EGC carcinogenesis.