Abstract: Gastric cancer is still one of the most common malignant neoplasms worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death.Therefore,it is of great significance to clarify the mechanism of gastric cancer oncogenesis.In the past decades,the theory of cancer stem cell has enhanced our knowledge of gastric cancer.Cancer stem cells are defined as cells within a tumor that possess the capacity to self-renew and to cause the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumor.The dysregulation of certain signal pathways occurs during tumor formation.Recently,the research on gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) and related signal pathways has provided a new theoretical basis for clarifying the mechanism of gastric cancer and treating this malignancy.This review will discuss the role of related signal pathways in GCSCs and therapies targeting the key molecules of these pathways.