Gastric & Breast Cancer
DOI: 10.2122/gbc.2003.0024
PERSPECTIVE
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Evidence-based
Approach: Is it Time to Change Funding, Research Policy and Treatment
Strategy of Gastric Cancer in the Western World? |
Abstract |
Little
progress has been made in the treatment of gastric cancer during
the last decades in the USA. Public health efforts and research
at improving survival have exclusively been focused on expensive
multimodality therapies funded by industry rather than strong
quality control of surgery. Currently, convincing evidence indicates
the paramount importance of surgeon volume and technical skill
in improving patient outcomes. |
Now,
a multicenter Japanese randomized controlled trial (RCT) providing
fascinating findings for the ability of surgery with appropriate
extensive lymph node dissection to control serosa-negative cancer,
strongly questions current treatment practice in the West. . |
Considering
advances in understanding the patterns of recurrences after
primary tumor resection and growing evidence for the ability
of high-quality surgery to improve survival, should we change
current treatment strategy and research policy on stage-specific
inclusion of patients in multimodality perioperative therapeutics
protocols?
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