Advanced therapies for stomach cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) persists as a major global health challenge, with advanced-stage disease exhibiting persistently poor prognoses despite advancements in early diagnosis and conventional treatments. This clinical urgency has driven the adoption of advanced therapies, including molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-directed agents, including trastuzumab, trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd), and disitamab vedotin (RC48), have demonstrated significant survival benefits in HER2-positive cohorts, though intratumoral heterogeneity frequently underlies acquired resistance. Antiangiogenic therapies targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, exemplified by ramucirumab, remain a cornerstone of advanced GC management. Concurrently, immune checkpoint inhibitors against programmed cell death protein 1 and programmed cell death-ligand 1 have expanded therapeutic options by potentiating endogenous antitumor immunity, albeit with variable efficacy across molecular subtypes. Emerging immunotherapies—such as adoptive cell therapies (e.g., chimeric antigen receptor T-cells), tumor-associated antigen vaccines, immunomodulatory agents, and genetically engineered oncolytic viruses—show promising preclinical and early phase clinical activity. Critical to optimizing these advances is a systems-level understanding of the tumor-immune microenvironment, which dynamically regulates therapeutic response and immune evasion. Future progress hinges on three pillars: (1) biomarker-driven personalization of treatment regimens, (2) combinatorial strategies to overcome primary and adaptive resistance mechanisms, and (3) translational integration of multi-omics insights into therapeutic development. Addressing these priorities through mechanistic investigations and innovative trial designs will be essential to achieving durable clinical responses and improving survival outcomes in this heterogeneous malignancy.