Targeted therapy in gastric cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Gastroenterology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Gastric cancer is a leading global malignancy, with surgery and multimodal therapy as the primary curative options.
• Targeted therapies, particularly those inhibiting HER2 and angiogenesis, have advanced gastric cancer treatment.
• Despite progress, patient survival remains suboptimal, and resistance to therapies is emerging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and limitations of HER2 and angiogenesis-directed targeted therapies in gastric cancer.
• To review current treatment strategies and identify unmet needs in gastric cancer management.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted.
• Comparative analysis of targeted therapy agents and treatment lines in gastric cancer.

Main Results:

• Trastuzumab and ramucirumab are key targeted agents demonstrating significant benefits in gastric cancer therapy.
• Secondary resistance to targeted therapies presents a major limitation in treatment efficacy.
• Second-line targeted therapy offers advantages over chemotherapy alone.

Conclusions:

• While second-line targeted therapy improves outcomes, first-line treatment results are modest.
• New therapeutic agents and combinations for first-line gastric cancer treatment are essential.
• Further clinical validation of novel agents and strategies is required.