©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Exp Med. May 20, 2015; 5(2): 84-102
Published online May 20, 2015. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v5.i2.84
Published online May 20, 2015. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v5.i2.84
Role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in gastric cancer: An in-depth literature review
Miguel Angel Chiurillo, Laboratorio de Genética Molecular “Dr. Yunis-Turbay”, Decanato de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado, Barquisimeto 3001, Estado Lara, Venezuela
Miguel Angel Chiurillo, Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083, São Paulo, Brasil
Author contributions: Chiurillo MA solely contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest: The author has no conflict of interest to declare.
Correspondence to: Miguel Angel Chiurillo, MD, PhD, Laboratorio de Genética Molecular “Dr. Yunis-Turbay”, Decanato de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado, Barquisimeto 3001, Estado Lara, Venezuela. mchiurillo@ucla.edu.ve
Telephone: +58-251-2591985 Fax: +58-251-2591886
Received: October 4, 2014
Peer-review started: October 5, 2014
First decision: November 14, 2014
Revised: February 7, 2015
Accepted: March 18, 2015
Article in press: March 20, 2015
Published online: May 20, 2015
Processing time: 229 Days and 11.5 Hours
Peer-review started: October 5, 2014
First decision: November 14, 2014
Revised: February 7, 2015
Accepted: March 18, 2015
Article in press: March 20, 2015
Published online: May 20, 2015
Processing time: 229 Days and 11.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Available data indicate that Wnt signaling substantially impacts gastric tumorigenesis, prognosis, and resistance to therapy. Loss of Wnt signaling inhibitors (such as APC) by promoter hypermethylation, allelic loss or other mechanisms appear to be particularly important in activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Gastric cancer is an entity characterized by its heterogeneity in various aspects, and much remains to be learned about the molecular aspects that determine the process of cancer development in this organ. The role that plays the canonical Wnt pathway in gastric carcinogenesis is reviewed.