Treatment for unresectable gastric cancer

Abstract

Systemic chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer. The combination of fluoropyrimidine and platinum is the most widely used first-line treatment worldwide. In patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer, the combination of trastuzumab (an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody) and chemotherapy is the standard-of-care. Second-line chemotherapy can also prolong patients' survival after progression; treatment options include cytotoxic chemotherapy (paclitaxel, docetaxel or irinotecan) and/or ramucirumab (an anti-VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody). A number of new targeted-agents are currently being studied, and more personalized approaches will be realized in the near future.