Gastric cancer surgical practice guidelines. Gastric Cancer Practice Guideline Committee

The data described above suggest that the current management of gastric carcinoma requires a surgical resection. Identification of the number of lymph nodes that may be involved with cancer is an important prognosticator. Resection of involved lymph nodes is likely to decrease the morbidity of locoregional recurrence. However, this has not been adequately addressed in the studies performed to date. Nonetheless, accurate staging is an essential goal of the primary therapy of gastric carcinoma. The limits of resection for a gastric cancer are outlined in the guidelines (see page 1068). Administration of adjuvant therapy, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, remains controversial and is the subject of ongoing clinical research. Until a prospective, randomized trial demonstrates a significant improvement in survival, there remains little or no basis for the addition of adjuvant therapy outside the context of a clinical trial.