title: Neo-adjuvant chemo(radio)therapy in gastric cancer: Current status and future perspectives.
abstract: In the last 20 years, several clinical trials on neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy as a therapeutic approach for locally advanced gastric cancer have been performed. Even if more data are necessary to define the roles of these approaches, the results of preoperative treatments in the combined treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma are encouraging because this approach has led to a higher rate of curative surgical resection. Owing to the results of most recent randomized phase III studies, neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced resectable gastric cancer has satisfied the determination of level I evidence. Remaining concerns pertain to the choice of the optimal therapy regimen, strict patient selection by accurate pre-operative staging, standardization of surgical procedures, and valid criteria for response evaluation. New well-designed trials will be necessary to find the best therapeutic approach in pre-operative settings and the best way to combine old-generation chemotherapeutic drugs with new-generation molecules.
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biondi
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lirosi
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Ugo
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fico
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santullo
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rizzuto
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ferdinando Cm
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Cananzi
authors.affiliation: Alberto Biondi, Maria C Lirosi, Domenico D'Ugo, Valeria Fico, Francesco Santullo, Roberto Persiani, General Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, "A. Gemelli" University Hospital Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Persiani
keywords: Chemotherapy; Gastric Cancer; Neo-adjuvant treatment; Radiotherapy