Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jan 15, 2022; 14(1): 90-109
Published online Jan 15, 2022. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v14.i1.90
Gastric cancer: An epigenetic view
Si-Yuan Tang, Pei-Jun Zhou, Yu Meng, Fu-Rong Zeng, Guang-Tong Deng
Si-Yuan Tang, Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan Province, China
Pei-Jun Zhou, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medicine Science, Central South University, School of Basic Medicine Science, Central South University 410008, Hunan Province, China
Yu Meng, Fu-Rong Zeng, Guang-Tong Deng, Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Deng GT, Zeng FR, and Tang SY designed the study; Tang SY and Zeng FR wrote the manuscript; Zhou PJ and Meng Y revised the manuscript; All the authors supported the study.
Supported by The fellowship of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No. 2020M682594.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no any conflicts of interest.
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: Guang-Tong Deng, MD, Doctor, Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 87 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410008, Hunan Province, China. dengguangtong@outlook.com
Received: March 21, 2021
Peer-review started: March 21, 2021
First decision: May 3, 2021
Revised: May 17, 2021
Accepted: December 21, 2021
Article in press: December 21, 2021
Published online: January 15, 2022
Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) poses a serious threat worldwide with unfavorable prognosis mainly due to late diagnosis and limited therapies. Therefore, precise molecular classification and search for potential targets are required for diagnosis and treatment, as GC is complicated and heterogeneous in nature. Accumulating evidence indicates that epigenetics plays a vital role in gastric carcinogenesis and progression, including histone modifications, DNA methylation and non-coding RNAs. Epigenetic biomarkers and drugs are currently under intensive evaluations to ensure efficient clinical utility in GC. In this review, key epigenetic alterations and related functions and mechanisms are summarized in GC. We focus on integration of existing epigenetic findings in GC for the bench-to-bedside translation of some pivotal epigenetic alterations into clinical practice and also describe the vacant field waiting for investigation.

Keywords: Gastric cancer, Epigenetics, Histone modifications, DNA methylation, Non-coding RNAs

Core Tip: Epigenetics plays a vital role in gastric carcinogenesis and progression. In this review, key epigenetic alterations and related functions and mechanisms are summarized in gastric cancer.