Treatment strategies in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer has become less common but remains among the leading causes of death from cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of only 20% to 25%. Although diagnostic techniques have improved, most patients with gastric cancer in the Western world (unlike in some Asian countries) already have locally advanced disease when diagnosed and may thus need not only surgery, but also perioperative chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

Articles published from 2000 to 2010 and containing the terms "gastric cancer," "surgery," and "chemotherapy" in combination with "review" or "randomized trial" were retrieved by a search in the Cochrane Library and Medline databases and selectively reviewed.

Complete (R0) resection of the tumor remains the standard treatment whenever possible. Complete endoscopic resection suffices only in special types of carcinoma that are confined to the gastric mucosa. Depending on the histological findings, either a subtotal distal gastrectomy or a total (perhaps extended total) gastrectomy can be performed. The long-term benefit of systematic D2 lymphadenectomy has now been shown in a randomized trial: the rates of tumor-related death and of local or regional recurrence were found to be significantly lower with D2 than with D1 lymphadenectomy. Multimodal treatment strategies including perioperative chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy can further improve local and regional tumor control and lessen the rate of systemic metastasis.

The standardization of surgical procedures lowered the operative risk in the treatment of gastric cancer. Patients with locally advanced disease can now derive additional benefit from perioperative chemotherapy with an increase of the 5-year survival rates of more than 10%.