While there are experimental studies demonstrating that IL-17-related stimulation/activity may not be essential for the successful development and/or progression of gastric cancers, it has been shown that these molecules may promote the invasiveness of gastric cancer cells through activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway and subsequent upregulation of the expression of metalloproteinases39, 40. This evidence concerns the gene NFKB1 and gastric cancer.