Multidisciplinary therapy for gastric cancer

Accurate preoperative staging is imperative in the treatment of gastric cancer since diseases in different stages mandate different management strategies. Multi-disciplinary therapy is important for gastric cancer. Endoscopic treatment has become the preferred treatment for patients with early gastric cancer. However, only when multiple disciplines is involved in the decision-making process, appropriate patients can be selected and benefit from the minimally invasive treatment. In China, 90% of gastric cancers are at advanced stage at diagnosis, which are associated with worse prognosis compared to early gastric cancer. The optimal treatment depends on the multi-disciplinary therapy including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and molecular targeted therapy.