Perioperative Treatment in Gastric Cancer—Developments in Patient Selection

Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) is a major public health issue. It is considered the 5 th most common cancer diagnosed worldwide and it is one of the main causes of malignant disease-associated morbidity and mortality. The cornerstone of curative treatment is still surgery, and since the rate of relapse is high, a multidisciplinary approach is warranted in most developed countries. And while there have been recent developments in the perioperative scenario namely the FLOT regimen, little has advanced considering patient selection. We have reviewed the major trials in this setting and provide some insights from recently reported microsatellite instability (MSI) in a subgroup analysis in the MAGIC trial patients that seem to suggest an opportunity to patient selection . Furthermore, GC subtyping may prove helpful selecting candidates to immunotherapy or even multimodal therapy in the future. As the paradigm is moving towards a precision oncology model, GC patient selection remains one the biggest challenges in oncology but seems closer to clinical practice reality as new developments are being reported.