Advancements in murine models of human gastric cancer

Murine models of gastric carcinogenesis are an in vivo tool essential for understanding the mechanisms of pathogenesis and search of better treatments. Over the years considerable changes in the understanding of the murine models of human gastric cancer have resulted in numerous models being reported in the literature. The gastric cancer transgenic mice and human xenograft heterotopic murine models were reported initially. These were followed by orthotopic tumor models which were found to be more relevant in portraying the human disease process as opposed to heterotopic models. Over time many techniques for making orthotopic gastric murine models were reported, each trying to overcome the drawbacks of the previously reported models. Although all of these models have their advantages and limitations, the latest orthotopic murine models seem to more accurately represent and replicate the human disease process. We discuss the different human gastric cancer murine models, their background, the techniques of creating them along with their advantages and limitations. Some of the studies in which human gastric murine models have been used are also briefly discussed. This extensive overview and details of an array of different resources in this field offer researchers a wide choice to choose a model which is more applicable to the type of study being planned.