Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 28, 2026; 32(32): 119965
Published online Aug 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119965
Published online Aug 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119965
P-element-induced wimpy testis-interacting RNA: A biomarker for gastric cancer diagnosis, progression, and prognosis
Yu-Wei Liu, Yi-Ke Chen, Jin-Yang Yan, Hua Shen, Fang-Ming Mai, Zheng-Hui Kong, Hui-Long Chen, The Fifth Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510095, Guangdong Province, China
Li-Ping Li, Wei-Ping Liu, Lun Zhang, Department of Gastroenterology, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510095, Guangdong Province, China
Yong Gao, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Liu YW contributed to the study design, literature collation, and manuscript drafting; Chen YK and Shen H were responsible for data collection, molecular mechanism analysis, and manuscript revision; Yan JY, Mai FM, and Kong ZH assisted with data interpretation, figure preparation, and technical support; Chen HL, Li LP, and Liu WP participated in the summary of clinical application prospects and provided critical revisions; Gao Y contributed to the analysis of research limitations and future directions; Zhang L conceived and designed the review, supervised the entire research process, and finalized the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Fostering Talents in Basic Science of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82304982.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Corresponding author: Lun Zhang, MD, Chief Physician, Full Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medi
Received: February 11, 2026
Revised: March 10, 2026
Accepted: April 21, 2026
Published online: August 28, 2026
Processing time: 174 Days and 2.1 Hours
Revised: March 10, 2026
Accepted: April 21, 2026
Published online: August 28, 2026
Processing time: 174 Days and 2.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Gastric cancer is a highly lethal digestive tract malignancy with unclear pathogenesis. Non-coding RNAs are closely related to its occurrence and development, among which P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs have great research potential. PIWI-interacting RNAs (PiRNAs) regulate gene expression by binding to PIWI proteins and are abnormally expressed in gastric cancer tissues. This review focuses on PiRNAs and PIWI proteins, clarifies their molecular mechanisms in gastric cancer, and discusses their value as novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and targeted therapy.