[Further improving the result of multi-modality treatment for gastric cancer by optimizing scheme and measures]

The incidence of gastric cancer has declined worldwide in the past decades. However, due to the large number of population in mainland of China, the absolute number of newly-diagnosed patients in this developing country is still very high. Most of the major clinical centers have established multi-disciplinary team, but the strategy in treating this life-threatening disease still needs to be optimized, including the precise preoperative staging by various techniques, perioperative chemotherapy for locally advanced diseases, role of minimally invasive surgical approaches in treating patients with different stages, translational research to fill the gap between clinical trials and basic research, as well as the individualized treatment for gastric cancer. We believe that the biological behaviors and molecular events of gastric cancer in eastern countries are different from that of Western countries, so the clinical evidences derived from Eastern countries need to be strengthened to enrich the unmet demands in the clinical practice in China.