Role of Chemotherapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer: Review from a Latin American Perspective

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common neoplasm and the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In Latin America (LA), the burden of this disease is higher and is the leading cause of cancer death in some countries. Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for advanced-stage GC. However, the best regimen for specific populations, such as LA, is as yet unknown. Cisplatin and fluoropyrimidine continue to be the standard of care in light of the findings of phase III studies, while docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) are alternatives for patients with suitable overall health. Oxaliplatin or irinotecan with fluoropyrimidine can also be used in elderly patients who are not candidates for cisplatin, or have a limited performance status. This review examines studies conducted in LA. Patients from LA are under-represented in multicenter trials of chemotherapy and targeted therapies. The major challenges currently lie in implementing strategies in which patients are selected on the basis of regional, racial or molecular characteristics, to consider the molecular subtype of GC for enrolment, and in selecting patients according to prognostic factors to optimize the benefits of chemotherapy.