Gastric Cancer Signaling Pathways and Therapeutic Applications

Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) is a prevalent malignant tumor and ranks as the second leading cause of death among cancer patients worldwide. Due to its hidden nature and difficulty in detection, GC has a high incidence and poor prognosis. Traditional treatment methods such as systemic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical resection are commonly used, but they often fail to achieve satisfactory curative effects, resulting in a very low 5-year survival rate for GC patients. Currently, targeted therapy and immunotherapy are prominent areas of research both domestically and internationally. These methods hold promise for the treatment of GC. This article focuses on the signaling pathways associated with the development of GC, as well as the recent advancements and applications of targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The aim is to provide fresh insights for the clinical treatment of GC.

Keywords: gastric cancer; immune checkpoint inhibitors; immunotherapy; signaling pathway; targeted therapy.

Figure 1.

Under physiological conditions, RTKs are activated upon binding to their ligands and undergo C-terminal phosphorylation. When functional mutations occur in RTK, RTK is overexpressed, the RTK gene is amplified, and the amount of RTK increases. TKIs target RTKs to prevent phosphorylation of the TK domain, interfere with cell proliferation, movement, differentiation, metabolism, survival and other processes, and induce cell death.

Figure 2.

Mechanism of ICIs.

Figure 3.

Immunomodulatory effects of adenosine in hypoxic TME.