[Current therapeutical aspects in gastric carcinoma (author's transl)]

The poor prognosis of gastric carcinoma can be improved by intensification of early diagnostics and adequate surgical measures. To avoid local recurrent tumour growth at the resection lines total gastrectomy is necessary if the tumour is located in the upper and middle third of the stomach as well in the case of diffusely infiltrating tumours in the distal third. To prevent relapses in the regional lymphatics radical lymph node dissection should be performed. Remission rates in advanced gastric cancer are high after combination chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and nitrosourea. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy seems to be successful according to newer communications. Basic problems of adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer are discussed.