CSCs are considered promising tumour-specific biomarkers
with potential clinical application. CD44, widely accepted as
a CSCs marker for gastric cancer in many studies [4–6], is
involved in cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix interactions, and
tumour metastasis [4]. However, most studies exploring the
role of CD44 protein in gastric cancer included patients that
received either radical resection or palliative surgery, which
introduced bias into the studies. Hence, it is necessary to
reevaluate the relationship between CD44 expression and
clinicopathological features and long-term survival of GC
patients who received radical resection. The activation of
the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway affects numerous human
stem cell markers in prostate [7], breast