Surgical management of cancer of the stomach and gastroesophageal junction after neoadjuvant therapy: the experience of the MRRC and literature review

Itroduction. Gastric cancer incidence and mortality rates remain very high worldwide, including the Russian Federation. More than 50 % of gastric cancers are locally advanced at presentation [1]. Perioperative or adjuvant chemotherapy is a standard treatment for gastric cancer patients. The use of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is considered very promising.Material and Methods. We present the analysis of the results of surgical treatment of cancer of the stomach and gastrooesophageal junction after various options of neoadjuvant therapy: chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and their combinations. The experience of the Medical Radiological Research Centre (MRRC), including 5 clinical prospective studies and one randomized multicenter clinical trial, was analyzed. A total of 237 patients with histologically proven locally advanced cancer of the stomach and gastro-oesophageal junction were included into the study. Of these patients, 202 received neoadjuvant therapy. Our treatment outcomes were compared with those of randomized trials published over the last 15 years.Results. Of 202 patients who received neoadjuvant therapy, 190 (94 %) underwent surgery (R0 resection: 184 patients). In the early postoperative period, complications were observed in 62 patients (32.6 %). Re-surgery was performed in 11 (5.8 %) patients. Postoperative mortality was 1.6 % (3 patients). Multicenter randomized studies and meta-analyses, as well as the long-term experience of MRRC, have shown that neoadjuvant therapy does not increase the number of postoperative complications and mortality, increases the rate of R0 resections and improves long-term treatment outcomes in patients with resectable locally advanced cancer of the stomach and gastro-oesophageal junction.Conclusion. Analysis of long-term clinical studies conducted at the MRRC as well as the treatment results published by other authors show that in some cases neoadjuvant therapy can lead to soft tissue changes in a surgical area and may complicate surgical management; however, it does not have a negative impact on the rates of postoperative complications and mortality.