Characterizing Metastatic -Positive Gastric Cancer at the Haplotype.

The gene, coding for the E-cadherin protein, is linked to gastric cancer (GC) susceptibility and tumor invasion. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 () is amplified and overexpressed in a portion of GC. is an established therapeutic target in metastatic GC (mGC). Trastuzumab, in combination with various chemotherapeutic agents, is a standard treatment for these tumors leading to outcome improvement. Unfortunately, the survival benefit is limited to a fraction of patients. The aim of this study was to improve knowledge of the and the E-cadherin alterations in the context of GC to characterize subtypes of patients that could better benefit from targeted therapy. An association between the P7- haplotype, including two polymorphisms (rs16260A-rs1801552T) and a subset of -positive mGC with better prognosis was observed. Results indicated the potential evaluation of haplotypes in mGC to stratify patients that will benefit from trastuzumab-based treatments. Moreover, data may have implications to understanding the and the E-cadherin interactions in vivo and in response to treatments.