[Treatment of type four gastric cancer in our institution]

Since 2011, we have performed routine staging laparoscopy on 7 patients presenting with type 4 gastric cancer at our department. After staging laparoscopy, the patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin, and S-1 (DCS). After the completion of 2 courses of chemotherapy, radical gastrectomy with D2 gastrectomy or greater was performed, followed by postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 for 1 year. In the present study, we evaluate the outcomes of the treatment strategies for the type 4 gastric cancer patients treated at our institution. Staging laparoscopy and peritoneal lavage cytology revealed that none of the patients had peritoneal metastasis, while peritoneal cytology detected carcinoma cells in 3 patients. Grade 3 or greater neutropenia developed in 3 patients, and Grade 3 or greater nonhematological toxicity developed in 3 patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The disease control rate was 100% and all patients underwent radical gastrectomy. Of the 3 patients who had positive peritoneal cytology on staging laparoscopy, 2 patients had no peritoneal cancer cells at the time of gastrectomy. Six patients underwent R0 surgery after DCS chemotherapy, and the response rate was 57.1%. The median survival time was 540 days. Four patients experienced peritoneal recurrence, and 1 developed lymph node recurrence. Our therapeutic strategy for type 4 gastric cancer contributed to prolonged survival; however, it is necessary to develop better strategies that can prevent or control the peritoneal recurrence.