Combined modality therapy of gastric cancer

Most patients with adenocarcinoma of the stomach continue to present with advanced stages of disease. Although cure is not possible without complete resection, most patients will go on to recur and die of their disease. Despite the efforts of the last 3 to 4 decades, little progress has been made in improving disease specific survival. The latest efforts to treat gastric cancer have now focused on preoperative treatment modalities. This article reviews the rationale and current status of preoperative multimodality therapy for gastric cancer.