Evidence-based review of the management of early gastric cancer

Although standard gastrectomy remains the most definitive locoregional treatment for early gastric cancer, it carries significant perioperative morbidities. Surgical gastrectomy for resection of lymph nodes is not always required and endoscopic resection may be a treatment option for patients at negligible risk of lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, the criteria for endoscopic resection are expanding, along with the development of new technology, in both Eastern and western countries with high prevalence of early gastric cancer, where studies for endoscopic treatment modalities have been conducted. Within such a trend, however, it should be emphasized that early gastric cancer needs to be treated cautiously, especially in western countries, as several studies suggest that there may be differences in tumor biology and aggressiveness between Asian and non-Asian populations.