A current view of gastric cancer in China

Gastric cancer is a heterogeneous disease with large variations across geographical regions. Although the global incidence of gastric cancer is declining, it remains highly prevalent in Asia as compared to the West. China is one of the countries with the highest incidence of gastric cancer, and accounts for over 40% of all new gastric cancer cases in the world. Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality in China. Gastric cancer in Chinese patients is different from that occurring in the West, and is a significant health burden. Moreover, there is currently no internationally accepted standard treatment regimen and clinical practice varies widely across countries. With the development of medical technology and wide application of more and more novel technologies, evidence-based approaches in combination with the strengths of various treatments will be the key to multidisciplinary management of gastric cancer for ultimately improving the outcomes and quality of life of these patients.