Gastric Cancer: Locoregional Disease: General Section. Locoregional Disease

Gastric cancer (GC) is still a worldwide major leading cause of cancer death which shows large geographical differences. Despite an overall decline in incidence and mortality over the last decades, GC remains a poor prognosis disease since patients often present with advanced stage of disease. A large number of risk factors have been associated with GC. Thus, prevention (environment and lifestyle factors) and early diagnosis may be the most promising strategies for cancer control and key strategies to reduce mortality. Surgical resection remains the main form of curative treatment whenever feasible. Endoscopic approaches have been used as valid alternatives to surgery for selected patients. Unlike the extent of resection of the primary tumor, lymph node resection has been considered the most important surgical prognostic factor. A multimodality approach, including perioperative chemotherapy or chemoradiation, has been suggested as the standard treatment for locally advanced GCs.