Successful conversion surgery for stage IV gastric cancer with liver metastases after second-line chemotherapy with ramucirumab and paclitaxel: a case report

BACKGROUND: In recent years, conversion surgery after chemotherapy has been considered a promising strategy for improving the prognosis of patients with stage IV gastric cancer. However, there are few reports on conversion gastrectomy after second-line chemotherapy. Here, we report a case of long-term survival of a patient with liver metastases from gastric cancer who underwent conversion surgery after second-line chemotherapy with ramucirumab and paclitaxel. CASE PRESENTATION: A 77-year-old man complaining of weight loss was diagnosed with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases. Although the patient initially received trastuzumab-based chemotherapy, it was discontinued, because he experienced trastuzumab-induced infusion reactions. Thereafter, he was treated with six courses of S-1 plus cisplatin and six courses of ramucirumab plus paclitaxel as the first- and second-line regimens, respectively. The primary tumor and liver metastases remarkably shrank, and the reduction rate of the measurable metastatic liver lesions was 81.1%. According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, the patient responded partially. Therefore, he underwent total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and partial hepatectomy of segments 3 and 4. Pathological examination revealed tumor invasion into the muscularis propria, a grade 1a histological response, and no lymph node metastases. No viable cancer cells were identified in the specimens resected from liver segments 3 and 4. Accordingly, the patient was pathologically diagnosed with stage IB (ypT2N0M0). Postoperatively, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 for 6 months, and he survived without recurrence for 42 months after conversion surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Conversion surgery might be clinically useful for improving survival in certain patients with gastric cancer, including those who previously received second-line chemotherapy.