Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41531322›Full record

ArticleJournal of pathology and translational medicine2026

Clinicopathological and molecular mechanisms of CLDN18.2 in gastric cancer aggressiveness: a high-risk population study with multi-omics profiling.

Hengquan Wu, Mei Li, Gang Wang, Peiqing Liao, Peng Zhang, Luxi Yang, Yumin Li, Tao Liu, Wenting He

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pathology and translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Hengquan WuThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Mei LiThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Gang WangGansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Oncology, Lanzhou, China.
Peiqing LiaoThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Peng ZhangThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Luxi YangThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Yumin LiThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Tao LiuThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Wenting HeThe Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.

Funding

International science and technology cooperation project of Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Department 2023YFWA0009The Fundamental Research Funds for The Science and Technology Program of Gansu Province 23JRRA1015
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe tight junction protein claudin18.2 (CLDN18.2) has been implicated in poor prognosis and suboptimal immunotherapy response in gastric cancer (GC). This study investigates the clinicopathological relevance of CLDN18.2 expression and its association with molecular subtypes in GC patients from a high-incidence region, combining transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to explore how CLDN18.2 contributes to progression and metastasis.

methodsA retrospective cohort of 494 GC patients (2019-2024) underwent immunohistochemical analysis for CLDN18.2, Epstein-Barr virus (Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA), p53, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, MSH2, PMS2, and MSH6). CLDN18.2 positivity was defined as moderate to strong (2+/3+) membranous staining in ≥75% of tumor cells. Clinicopathological correlations, biomarker associations, and survival outcomes were evaluated. Transcriptomic and proteomic sequencing was performed to explore molecular mechanisms.

resultsCLDN18.2 positivity was observed in 26.9% (133/494) of gastric adenocarcinomas. CLDN18.2-positive tumors correlated with TNM stage (p = .003) and shorter overall survival (p = .018). No associations were identified with age, sex, HER2 status, microsatellite instability, or Epstein-Barr virus infection. Transcriptomic profiling revealed CLDN18.2-high tumors enriched in pathways involving cell junction disruption, signaling regulation, and immune modulation. Proteomic profiling showed that tumors with high CLDN18.2 were enriched in multiple mechanism-related pathways such as integrated metabolic reprogramming, cytoskeletal recombination, immune microenvironment dysregulation, and pro-survival signaling. These mechanisms may collectively contribute to tumor progression and metastasis.

conclusionsCLDN18.2 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in GC patients. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses demonstrate that CLDN18.2 promotes tumor progression and metastasis, underscoring its potential as an independent prognostic factor in regions with a high incidence of GC.

Indexed as

CLDN18.2Gastric adenocarcinomaImmunohistochemistryProtein sequencingRNA sequencing

Identifiers

PMID41531322
PMCPMC13586487

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