Advances in the treatment of gastric cancer: 2019

Abstract

Purpose of review: The aim of this study was to review studies published within the past year regarding management of gastric cancer.

Recent findings: Laparoscopic gastrectomy achieves equivalent survival compared with open gastrectomy in early stage and locally advanced gastric cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy with 6 months of S-1 and oxaliplatin was superior to 12 months of S-1, and the addition of postoperative radiation therapy did not improve survival. The FLOT regimen is the new standard for preoperative chemotherapy. In metastatic gastric cancer, the addition of docetaxel to S-1 and cisplatin failed to improve overall survival over two-drug chemotherapy. The addition of the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab to chemotherapy failed to improve overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone.

Summary: Laparoscopic gastrectomy is acceptable in early and locally advanced gastric cancer. Combination adjuvant chemotherapy is superior to S-1 monotherapy. Adjuvant radiation therapy after D2 gastrectomy for node-positive gastric cancer does not improve survival. Preoperative chemotherapy with FLOT (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin and docetaxel) without radiation therapy is the standard treatment in the West. Two-drug chemotherapy is the optimal initial treatment in metastatic disease. Adding pembrolizumab to front-line chemotherapy did not improve survival, with use of immune checkpoint inhibitors reserved to treat chemotherapy refractory metastatic disease.