Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2024; 30(8): 779-793
Published online Feb 28, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i8.779
Immunotherapy of gastric cancer: Present status and future perspectives
John K Triantafillidis, Manousos M Konstadoulakis, Apostolos E Papalois
John K Triantafillidis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit, “Metropolitan General” Hospital, Holargos 15562, Attica, Greece. Hellenic Society for Gastrointestinal Oncology, 354 Iera Odos, Chaidari 12461, Attica, Greece
Manousos M Konstadoulakis, Second Department of Surgery, University of Athens School of Medicine, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens 11528, Attica, Greece
Apostolos E Papalois, Unit of Surgical Research and Training, Second Department of Surgery, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens 11528, Attica, Greece
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the preparation of the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Apostolos E Papalois, DPhil, Visiting Professor, Unit of Surgical Research and Training, Second Department of Surgery, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Aretaieion Hospital, 76 Vas Sophias Avenue, Athens 11528, Attica, Greece. apostolospapalois@gmail.com
Received: November 5, 2023
Peer-review started: November 6, 2023
First decision: December 4, 2023
Revised: December 14, 2023
Accepted: January 29, 2024
Article in press: January 29, 2024
Published online: February 28, 2024
Processing time: 112 Days and 23.3 Hours
Abstract

In this editorial, we comment on the article entitled “Advances and key focus areas in gastric cancer immunotherapy: A comprehensive scientometric and clinical trial review (1999-2023),” which was published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology. We focused on the results of the authors’ bibliometric analysis concerning gastric cancer immunotherapy, which they analyzed in depth by compiling the relevant publications of the last 20 years. Before that, we briefly describe the most recent data concerning the epidemiological parameters of gastric cancer (GC) in different countries, attempting to give an interpretation based on the etiological factors involved in the etiopathogenesis of the neoplasm. We then briefly discuss the conservative treatment (chemotherapy) of the various forms of this malignant neoplasm. We describe the treatment of resectable tumors, locally advanced neoplasms, and unresectable (advanced) cases. Special attention is given to modern therapeutic approaches with emphasis on immunotherapy, which seems to be the future of GC treatment, especially in combination with chemotherapy. There is also a thorough analysis of the results of the study under review in terms of the number of scientific publications, the countries in which the studies were conducted, the authors, and the scientific centers of origin, as well as the clinical studies in progress. Finally, an attempt is made to draw some con-clusions and to point out possible future directions.

Keywords: Gastric cancer; Chemotherapy; Immunotherapy; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Bibliometrics; Scientometrics

Core Tip: Gastric cancer (GC) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Conservative treatment in the form of chemotherapy has recently made remarkable advances, particularly in the field of immunotherapy. Immunotherapy of GC represents one of the most important fields of research worldwide today, particularly in China, the United States, and Japan, as well as in some Western European countries. Several treatment regimens have been approved and are being implemented with satisfactory results. Also, several treatment regimens are currently under investigation, which are expected to improve the disappointing prognosis of this malignant neoplasm.