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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Gene Regulation and Targeted Therapy in Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis: Radiological Findings from Dual Energy CT and PET/CT
10:28

Gene Regulation and Targeted Therapy in Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis: Radiological Findings from Dual Energy CT and PET/CT

Published on: January 22, 2018

Development of targeted therapies in advanced gastric cancer: promising exploratory steps in a new era

Anna D Wagner1, Markus Moehler

  • 1Multidisciplinary Oncology Center, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. dorothea.wagner@chuv.ch

Current Opinion in Oncology
|May 5, 2009
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Targeted therapies show promise for advanced gastric cancer, but more research is needed. Randomized trials and biomarker studies are crucial to identify effective treatments and patient subgroups for gastric cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Gastrointestinal Oncology
  • Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

  • Advanced gastric cancer treatment relies on chemotherapy, with limited survival benefits.
  • Combination chemotherapy shows modest response rates but fails to significantly extend progression-free or overall survival.
  • Targeted therapy development in gastric cancer lags behind other cancers like colorectal cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current experience and recent advancements in targeted therapies for advanced gastric cancer.
  • To highlight the progress and challenges in integrating novel agents into gastric cancer treatment paradigms.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent publications focusing on targeted therapies in advanced gastric cancer.
  • Analysis of data from nonrandomized phase I and II trials.

Main Results:

  • Current research on targeted therapies is primarily based on nonrandomized phase I/II trials.
  • Angiogenesis inhibitors and agents targeting epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR1 and HER2) are the main classes of targeted agents investigated.

Conclusions:

  • Robust, randomized phase III trials are essential to establish the clinical utility of targeted therapies in advanced gastric cancer.
  • Biomarker studies are critical for identifying patient populations who will benefit most from targeted and chemotherapy combinations.

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