Molecular characterizations and possible treatment strategies for Epstein-Barr virus-as-sociated gastric cancer / 中国肿瘤临床

ABSTRACT

In 2014, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) classified gastric cancer into four types based on the genotype include EBV-infect-ed tumors, genomically stable tumors, chromosomally unstable tumors and MSI tumors, among which Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) is expected to be most suitable for immunotherapy because of its molecular characteristics, such as PD-L1/2 amplification or upregulation. Understanding the molecular characterizations of EBVaGC is very important in clinical practice. The re-ported molecular characteristics of EBVaGC include PD-L1/2 upregulation, PIK3CA mutation, ARID1A mutation, DNA hypermethyl-ation, and rare mutation of TP53. Therefore, the possible therapeutic strategies for EBVaGC include the use of immune checkpoint in-hibitors, PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibitors, or antiviral therapy. This review summarizes the important molecular characterizations and possible treatment strategies for EBVaGC.