Christodoulidis G, Bartzi D, Koumarelas KE, Kouliou MN. Pembrolizumab in patients with gastric cancer and liver metastases: A paradigm shift in immunotherapy. World J Gastrointest Surg 2024; 16(11): 3391-3394 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i11.3391]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Grigorios Christodoulidis, MD, PhD, Academic Editor, Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, The University of Thessaly, Biopolis Campus, Larissa 41110, Greece. gregsurg09@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (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: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Grigorios Christodoulidis, Department of General Surgery, The University Hospital of Larissa, The University of Thessaly, Larissa 41110, Greece
Dimitra Bartzi, Department of Oncology, The 251 Airforce General Hospital, Athens 11525, Greece
Konstantinos Eleftherios Koumarelas, Department of Emergency Medicine, The General Hospital of Larissa, Larissa 41221, Greece
Marina Nektaria Kouliou, Department of General Surgery, The University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa 41110, Greece
Author contributions: Christodoulidis G, Bartzi D, Koumarelas KE, and Kouliou MN contributed to the discussion, design of the manuscript, the writing and editing of the manuscript, and review of the literature; Christodoulidis G designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare no conflict of interest.
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: Grigorios Christodoulidis, MD, PhD, Academic Editor, Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, The University of Thessaly, Biopolis Campus, Larissa 41110, Greece. gregsurg09@gmail.com
Received: April 27, 2024 Revised: July 18, 2024 Accepted: July 24, 2024 Published online: November 27, 2024 Processing time: 185 Days and 23.8 Hours
Abstract
In this editorial, we explore the impact of immunotherapy and its safety in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) and liver involvement. GC, a formidable adversary in the oncology landscape, presents its most challenging battlefront when it reaches stage IV, often characterized by liver metastases. The prognosis for patients at this advanced stage is daunting, with systemic chemotherapy traditionally offering a median overall survival slightly over a year. However, the landscape of treatment is evolving, with new strategies and therapies offering a glimmer of hope.
Core Tip: Given the multifaceted challenges of treating gastric cancer with liver metastases, adopting a personalized approach to therapy is crucial. This involves integrating biomarker testing, such as programmed cell death ligand 1 expression, into treatment decisions to identify likely responders to immunotherapy such as pembrolizumab. By tailoring treatment strategies based on individual patient characteristics and disease biology, clinicians can optimize therapeutic efficacy and mitigate potential adverse events, ultimately improving outcomes for patients navigating this complex clinical scenario.
