Molecular biology of gastroesophageal cancers: opportunities and challenges

Gastroesophageal (GE) malignancies make up a significant and growing segment of newly diagnosed cancers. Approximately 80% of patients who have GE cancers die within 5 years of diagnosis, which means that effective treatments for these malignancies need to be found. Currently, targeted therapies have a minimal role in this disease group. Intensive study of the molecular biology of GE cancers is a relatively new and ongoing venture, but it has already led to a significant increase in our understanding of these malignancies. This understanding, although still limited, has the potential to enhance our ability to develop targeted therapies in conjunction with the ability to identify actionable gene mutations and perform genomic profiling to predict drug resistance. Several cell surface growth factor receptors have been found to play a prominent role in GE cancer cell signaling. This discovery has led to the approval of 2 agents within the last few years: trastuzumab, an anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) monoclonal antibody used in the first-line treatment of HER2-positive GE cancers, and ramucirumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) monoclonal antibody that is currently used in later lines of therapy. This review discusses the current state of molecular testing in GE cancers, along with the known molecular biology and current and investigational treatments. The development of trastuzumab and ramucirumab represents a significant advance in our ability to make use of GE tumor molecular profiles. As our understanding of the impact of molecular aberrations on drug effectiveness and disease outcomes increases, we anticipate improved therapy for patients with GE cancers.