Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and chemotherapy or by surgery and chemoradiotherapy for patients with resectable gastric cancer (CRITICS)

What make differences in the outcome of adjuvant treatments for resected gastric cancer?

After a long history of Dark Age of adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer, definite evidences of survival benefit from adjuvant treatment have been reported since 2000s. These survival benefits are likely attributed to something new approach different from pervious studies. In 2001, South West Oncology Group INT0116 trial yielded survival benefit in curatively resected gastric cancer patients with postoperative chemoradiotherapy [5-fluorouracil (5-FU) + Leucovorin + radiotherapy], followed by positive result by MAGIC Trial, employing peri-operative(pre- and postoperative chemotherapy with Epirubicin, cisplatin (CDDP), 5-fluorouracil (ECF) regimen in patients with curative resection. A novel drug [S1: ACTS-GC (Adjuvant chemotherapy trial of TS-1 for gastric cancer) in 2007], or new drug combination chemotherapys [CDDP + 5-FU: FNCLCC/FFCD (Federation Nationale des Centres de Lutte contre le cancer/Federation Francophone de Cancerologie Digestive) in 2011, Capecitabine + Oxaliplatin: CLASSIC in 2012] also produced positive results in terms of improved prognosis. Neoadjuvant or perioperative chemotherapy, novel anti-cancer drugs, and chemoradiotherapy might be the key words to develop further improvement in the adjuvant treatment of resectable gastric cancer. Moreover, it is not new but still true to stress the importance of D2 surgery as the baseline treatment in order to minimize the amount of residual tumor after surgery.