The journey of personalizing gastric cancer treatment

Gastric cancer ranks the fourth most prevalent malignancy yet it is the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Every year, gastric cancer adds nearly 1 million new cancer cases, and 723,000 or 10% of cancer deaths to the global cancer burden. Approximately, 405,000 or 43% of the new cases and 325,000 or 45% of the deaths are in China, making gastric cancer a particularly challenging malignancy. This thematic series discusses the molecular classifications of gastric cancer by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) as well as the implications in personalized therapeutic choices; discusses the evolution of gastric surgery and presents perspectives on surgical techniques in treating gastric cancer; and reviews current and emerging targeted agents as well as immunotherapies in treating gastric cancer. With these advancements in molecular characterization, surgical intervention, and targeted and immunotherapies, gastric cancer will enter a personalized medicine era in the next 5 years.