Gut Liver.  2014 Mar;8(2):131-139.

Immune Response and the Tumor Microenvironment: How They Communicate to Regulate Gastric Cancer

• Lee K
• Hwang H
• Nam KT

Abstract

Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. A growing body of evidence indicates that inflammation is closely associated with the initiation, progression, and metastasis of many tumors, including those of gastric cancer. In addition, approximately 60% of the world's population is colonized by Helicobacter pylori, which accounts for more than 50% of gastric cancers. While the role of inflammation in intestinal and colonic cancers is relatively well defined, its role in stomach neoplasia is still unclear because of the limited access of pathogens to the acidic environment and the technical difficulties isolating and characterizing immune cells in the stomach, especially in animal models. In this review, we will provide recent updates addressing how inflammation is involved in gastric malignancies, and what immune characteristics regulate the pathogenesis of stomach cancer. Also, we will discuss potential therapeutics that target the immune system for the efficient treatment of gastric cancer.

Keyword

Stomach neoplasms; Inflammation; Helicobacter pylori; Immune cells

MeSH Terms

Adaptive Immunity/*immunology
B-Lymphocytes/immunology
Cytokines/immunology
Gastritis/immunology
Helicobacter Infections/immunology
Helicobacter pylori/immunology
Humans
Immunity, Innate/*immunology
Immunotherapy/methods
Receptors, Cytokine/immunology
Stomach Neoplasms/diagnosis/*immunology/therapy
T-Lymphocytes/immunology
Tumor Microenvironment/*immunology
Cytokines
Receptors, Cytokine