Yan HQ, Lai QQ, Huang MW, Wang TA, Wu LC, Qin YZ. Advances in molecular mechanism of gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(8): 121799 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i8.121799]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Yu-Zhou Qin, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Lianyu Avenue, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. qyz402@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
review-article
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Yan HQ, Lai QQ, Huang MW, Wang TA, Wu LC, Qin YZ. Advances in molecular mechanism of gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(8): 121799 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i8.121799]
Hai-Qing Yan, Ming-Wei Huang, Ting-An Wang, Liu-Cheng Wu, Yu-Zhou Qin, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Qin-Qiao Lai, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Author contributions: All authors made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work. Qin YZ developed the concept for the review; Lai QQ, Huang MW, Wang TA, and Wu LC performed the literature search and interpretation; Yan HQ drafted the work. All authors critically reviewed, edited and revised the manuscript, and approved the final draft for submission.
AI contribution statement: This paper used the DeepSeek AI tool for writing assistance. No part of this paper, in whole or in part, was generated by AI. This paper used DeepSeek for sentence optimization during its writing. However, the author takes full responsibility for the academic content and views in the entire text. AI tools were not involved in the research design. There are no AI-generated images in the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82360593; Joint Project on Regional High-Incidence Diseases Research of Guangxi Natural Science Foundation, No. 2023GXNSFAA026133; Guangxi Key Research and Development Program, No. guikeAB24010097; and First-Class Discipline Innovation-Driven Talent Program of Guangxi Medical University.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Yu-Zhou Qin, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Lianyu Avenue, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. qyz402@126.com
Received: April 2, 2026 Revised: April 17, 2026 Accepted: May 25, 2026 Published online: August 15, 2026 Processing time: 128 Days and 7.5 Hours
Abstract
Peritoneal metastasis represents one of the most frequent patterns of metastasis in gastric cancer and is associated with an exceedingly poor prognosis, demonstrated by a five-year survival rate of less than 2%. While treatment options remain limited for affected patients, advances in targeted therapy and immunotherapy continue to emerge. In this review, we synthesize published molecular biology research to summarize the diverse mechanisms underlying gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis. Our aim is to enhance the understanding of this process and to identify key molecules, signaling pathways, and cellular immune components involved, thereby offering new perspectives for precise diagnosis and treatment.
Core Tip: Gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis involves multiple complex biological processes. These include genetic mutations, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, extracellular matrix remodeling, tumor microenvironment interactions, hypoxia-driven responses, anoikis resistance, metabolic reprogramming, and epigenetic regulation. This review systematically elucidates the synergistic interactions among these networks. It also highlights their potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
