Results of the REGATTA trial on surgical therapy of limited metastatic gastric cancer: open issues and future perspectives

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide (723,000 deaths, 8.8% of cancer associated mortality), with regional, etiological differences and the highest prevalence in Asia (1-3). In Western countries most of the patients are diagnosed in advanced stages (up to 80% stage IV) as the cancer remains often asymptomatic or presents with unspecific symptoms (4). Patients with stage III and IV GC have a poor prognosis with 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 9.2–19.8% and 4.0%, respectively. Treatment in these stages is mainly in palliative intent (5).