A review of in vitro and in vivo models of oesophageal and gastric cancer

Abstract

Importance of the field: Oesophageal and gastric cancers are leading causes of cancer-related mortality. In the era of targeted therapy and individualized treatment strategies, novel treatments for upper-gastrointestinal cancers are only just emerging compared to significant advances in other solid tumour types such as colorectal, breast and lung cancers. Clinical trials are investigating the value of established targeted agents for the treatment of oesophageal and gastric malignancies; however none are used in routine clinical practice.

Areas covered in this review: In this review we have looked at current in vitro and in vivo models of oesophageal and gastric cancers which may improve our understanding of the biology of these tumours and lead to the development of new preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

What the reader will gain: We discuss the limitations of our current models and the challenges associated with research into these cancers.

Take home message: The lack of appropriate models for drug development in oesophageal and gastric cancers has hindered the progress of targeted therapy in this field.

Keywords::

• animal models
• cell lines
• gastric cancer
• oesophageal cancer