Overview of clinical trials on adjuvant chemotherapy for curatively resected gastric cancer]

Reports of the results of clinical trials on adjuvant chemotherapy for curatively resected gastric cancer were reviewed. All but two trials did not show its efficacy. In spite of this, understanding some results of subset analysis as definite proof, a consensus was achieved in Japan on its efficacy due to lack of proper knowledge of medical statistics among surgeons. Recently it has been recognized that this consensus was groundless and that evaluation of adjuvant chemotherapy should be carried out again. The results of the trial of JCOG, comparing adjuvant chemotherapy versus control (surgery alone) are therefore awaited. For the moment, all clinical trials on adjuvant chemotherapy for curatively resected gastric cancer should have an arm of surgery alone as control.