title: Developments in treatment of esophageal/gastric cancer.
abstract: Advances have been achieved in the therapy of esophageal and gastric cancer (including carcinoma of gastroesophageal junction); however, it poses a continuous challenge to treat this highly virulent disease effectively. The concept of the benefits of perioperative (pre- or/and post-) therapy (chemotherapy or chemoradiation) has been accepted and confirmed by several large randomized phase III studies globally in different regions, settings, and patient population (INT 0116, MAGIC, ACTS-GC, and JCOG 9907). Efficacy of combination of newer cytotoxic chemotherapy agents has been demonstrated with increased progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic disease (e.g., REAL-2, V325, SPIRITS, and COG9912). Encouraging results have been shown from recent preliminary data with biological and target-oriented agents in the treatment of esophageal and gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Abramson Cancer Center of University of Pennsylvania, 16 Penn Tower, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Weijing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D000068818:Cetuximab; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D000068818:Cetuximab