portugal

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer is a malignant condition that originates in the stomach. It is currently the 5th most common type of cancer and the 4th leading cause of death globally [1,2]. As there are still few therapeutic strategies with significant benefits for patient survival, new therapies have recently been approved. These target specific cancer cell components, inhibiting their growth [3]. Objective: Analyzing recently approved drug therapy for gastric cancer. Methods: This study consists of a narrative literature review. Information retrieval was conducted using the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scielo databases. Scientific articles and randomized clinical trials published between 2018 and 2023 in English were included. International guidelines for gastric carcinoma from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) were consulted to search for approved medications since 2010 [3]. Results: The ESMO guidelines outline three lines of combined therapy containing trastuzumab (anti-HER2 antibody), nivolumab and pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitors), ramucirumab (anti-VEGF), and trifluridine/tipiracil (thymidine analog combined with a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor). These are medications with good tolerance or manageable adverse effects and, in some cases, show a significant increase in overall survival [4-6]. Conclusions: The recent therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer, available in different treatment lines and with varied mechanisms of action, yield some positive results, however, they should be further investigated.