title: Global chemotherapy development for gastric cancer.
abstract: To combat the dismal mortality rates from metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC), new drugs and treatment strategies are needed. Today, metastatic GAC is predominantly treated by empiric chemotherapy. Combination of two cytotoxic agents has become commonplace in North America, Europe, and Asia. Human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) overexpression (protein or gene copy numbers) has resulted in the addition of trastuzumab in the first-line chemotherapy combination in patients whose tumor is HER2 positive. The addition of trastuzumab in this select population has provided a modest survival advantage. In this review we trace the global development of systemic therapy in patients with metastatic GAC and ponder what lies in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd (FC10.3022), Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd (FC10.3022), Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Dilsa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mizrak Kaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd (FC10.3022), Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimodaira
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd (FC10.3022), Houston, TX, 77030, USA. jajani@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Jaffer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ajani
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Chemotherapy; Gastric adenocarcinoma; Molecularly targeted drug