Role of Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Decision Making for Surgical Management of Cancer Stomach

Abstract

Abstract Background Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related death worldwide. In Egypt, gastric cancer is the 12th most common cancer. The incidence rises with age and 55% of cases occur between 50 and 70 years of age. The complete resection partial or total gastrectomy is based on tumor location, stage, histology, and surgical margins. The extent of regional lymphadenectomy required has been a matter of debate. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy could increase the curative resection rate, improve the tumor down staging possibilities. Aim of Work assess the role of the neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for surgical management of gastric cancer patients. Patients and Methods A prospective analysis of sixty patients with ranging age (18-60 years) who are diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma, received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy patients with minimal follow up 16 months, treated at the upper gastro-intestinal surgeries unit, Ain Shams University Hospitals. Primary end points include assessing overall survival, R0 resection rate, local recurrence, rate of pathological complete response. Results Patients aged (22-60 years old), mean age 46.67 ±12.76, the median DFS was 6 months, the mean OS is 26.3 months, recorded 1 year, 2 years OS rate was 75.8% and 67.9% respectively. However, the median OS was not reached. Conclusion This study favors the idea of Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy usage prior to surgical intervention in multiple stages of gastric cancer. However, there were other studies that questions its role and demand a reconsideration about the clinical outcome which require further investigation.