The Implication of Autophagy in Gastric Cancer Progression
Evangelos Koustas,
Eleni-Myrto Trifylli,
Panagiotis Sarantis,
Nikolaos I. Kontolatis,
Christos Damaskos,
Nikolaos Garmpis,
Christos Vallilas,
Anna Garmpi,
Athanasios G. Papavassiliou,
Michalis V. Karamouzis
Affiliations
Evangelos Koustas
Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Eleni-Myrto Trifylli
Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Panagiotis Sarantis
Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Nikolaos I. Kontolatis
Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Christos Damaskos
Renal Transplantation Unit, ‘Laiko’ General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
Nikolaos Garmpis
‘N.S. Christeas’ Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Christos Vallilas
Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Anna Garmpi
First Department of Pathology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Athanasios G. Papavassiliou
Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Michalis V. Karamouzis
Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The three entirely variable entities have distinct epidemiology, molecular characteristics, prognosis, and strategies for clinical management. However, many gastric tumors appear to be resistant to current chemotherapeutic agents. Moreover, a significant number of gastric cancer patients, with a lack of optimal treatment strategies, have reduced survival. In recent years, multiple research data have highlighted the importance of autophagy, an essential catabolic process of cytoplasmic component digestion, in cancer. The role of autophagy as a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter mechanism remains controversial. The multistep nature of the autophagy process offers a wide array of targetable points for designing novel chemotherapeutic strategies. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the interplay between gastric cancer development and the autophagy process and decipher the role of autophagy in this kind of cancer. A plethora of different agents that direct or indirect target autophagy may be a novel therapeutic approach for gastric cancer patients.
