Diagnostic and prognostic value of HOXC family members in gastric cancer.

Lay abstracts Gastric cancer (GC) remains one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive system and the third most common cause of death from cancer. Since GC is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, despite advances in comprehensive treatment strategies, its mortality rate is still very high. GC is a disease that is highly heterogeneous in terms of genotype and phenotype. Therefore, a more complete understanding of the molecular mechanism of GC carcinogenesis and identification of reliable molecular targets for the diagnosis and prognosis of GC are highly valued. It is well known that the HOXC gene family expression is upregulated in most solid tumor types, such as lung cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer. The authors explore the role of the HOXC gene family in GC. Results demonstrated that HOXC family members are potential targets for diagnosis and may work as prognostic biomarkers of GC.