Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2023; 29(17): 2515-2533
Published online May 7, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i17.2515
Novel biomarkers for early detection of gastric cancer
Tasuku Matsuoka, Masakazu Yashiro
Tasuku Matsuoka, Masakazu Yashiro, Molecular Oncology and Therapeutics, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 5458585, Japan
Author contributions: Matsuoka T and Yashiro M performed literature research; Matsuoka T wrote the manuscript and performed the revision and approval of the final version; Yashiro M designed research, coordinated and corrected the writing of the paper.
Supported by the National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund, No. 23-A-9.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Masakazu Yashiro, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Molecular Oncology and Therapeutics, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 5458585, Japan. i21496f@omu.ac.jp
Received: November 19, 2022
Peer-review started: November 19, 2022
First decision: January 2, 2023
Revised: January 31, 2023
Accepted: April 13, 2023
Article in press: April 13, 2023
Published online: May 7, 2023
Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Less than half of GC cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage due to its lack of early symptoms. GC is a heterogeneous disease associated with a number of genetic and somatic mutations. Early detection and effective monitoring of tumor progression are essential for reducing GC disease burden and mortality. The current widespread use of semi-invasive endoscopic methods and radiologic approaches has increased the number of treatable cancers: However, these approaches are invasive, costly, and time-consuming. Thus, novel molecular noninvasive tests that detect GC alterations seem to be more sensitive and specific compared to the current methods. Recent technological advances have enabled the detection of blood-based biomarkers that could be used as diagnostic indicators and for monitoring postsurgical minimal residual disease. These biomarkers include circulating DNA, RNA, extracellular vesicles, and proteins, and their clinical applications are currently being investigated. The identification of ideal diagnostic markers for GC that have high sensitivity and specificity would improve survival rates and contribute to the advancement of precision medicine. This review provides an overview of current topics regarding the novel, recently developed diagnostic markers for GC.

Keywords: Gastric cancer, Diagnostic biomarkers, Early detection, Liquid biopsy

Core Tip: Gastric cancer (GC) is a major unsolved clinical problem. It is the fifth most diagnosed cancer in the world, and the fourth most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The outcome of advanced GC remains tremendously poor despite the use of surgery and adjuvant therapy. Therefore, the detection new biomarkers for early diagnosis will be potential therapeutic strategies for improving survival of GC patients. The aim of this review is to summarizes the current status and approaches for novel biomarkers, which could be useful for early diagnosis.