Chemotherapy is the standard of care for patients with incurable advanced gastric cancer. Chemotherapy is used to provide a better quality of life to these patients. Whether gastrectomy can be beneficial prior to chemotherapy in these patients is controversial. The study published in a renowned journal The Lancet says that it has negligible or no benefits. Patients with incurable advanced gastric cancer require chemotherapy for a relief of symptoms and improved quality of life.
One school of thought has proposed gastrectomy prior to the chemotherapy in the patients with advanced gastric cancer with a single non-curable factor. Many clinicians think that it is not beneficial at all. The study published in The Lancet suggests that latter thought (not doing gastrectomy) is correct. The phase 3 study conducted at 44 different centres in Japan, South Korea and Singapore included patients…
