Management of gastric and gastroesophageal cancers is a complex, evolving paradigm. Involvement of multimodality specialties is the key. In gastric cancer, data are conflicting with regard to the specific roles of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, particularly between Asian and Western studies. However, current ongoing phase III trials will further elucidate the optimal treatment for this heterogeneous disease. For resectable gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) tumors, the publication of a landmark study in 2012 out of the Netherlands revealed a clear benefit in the utilization of trimodality therapy. This changed practice almost immediately around the world. In unresectable gastroesophageal disease, chemoradiation has been firmly established as a paradigm for treatment. The optimal chemotherapy regimen is still in flux. However, for both gastric and GEJ tumors, technological breakthroughs in genomics and pharmacologic targeting will soon provide physicians more options in the armamentarium to fight these diseases and, one day, individually personalize treatment.
Keywords: Chemoradiation; Gastric cancer; Gastroesophageal junction cancer; Radiation therapy; Trimodality therapy.