Gastric cancer (stomach cancer) affects about 26,000 people each year in the United States, with most cases diagnosed at advanced stages. Treatment typically combines surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies. Five-year survival ranges from over 70% for localized disease to under 6% for metastatic cancer.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing immune checkpoint inhibitors like pembrolizumab and nivolumab, HER2-targeted drugs for HER2-positive tumors, antibody-drug conjugates that deliver chemotherapy directly to cancer cells, and FGFR2 inhibitors for specific genetic subtypes. Researchers are also studying better ways to identify people who will respond to immunotherapy and combining treatments to overcome resistance.
Antibody-drug conjugates
These drugs attach chemotherapy to antibodies that target proteins on gastric cancer cells. Trastuzumab deruxtecan showed strong results in HER2-positive disease and is now FDA-approved for this use.
Immunotherapy combinations
Trials are pairing checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy, targeted drugs, or other immune treatments. Pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy is now standard for some patients based on PD-L1 testing.
Claudin 18.2 targeting
This protein appears on many gastric tumors but not on most healthy cells. Drugs that target it, including zolbetuximab, are being tested to block tumor growth.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on cancer stage, prior treatments, HER2 and PD-L1 status, other biomarkers, and overall health.
What types of trials are currently open
- First-line treatment trials — Testing new combinations of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted drugs for people newly diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer.
- HER2-targeted trials — Studies of antibody-drug conjugates and other HER2-directed therapies for the 15-20% of gastric cancers that overexpress this protein.
- Biomarker-selected trials — Testing treatments matched to specific genetic changes like FGFR2 amplification, MSI-high status, or Claudin 18.2 expression.
- Perioperative trials — Testing chemotherapy or immunotherapy given before and after surgery to reduce the chance of cancer returning.
- Second-line trials — Studies for people whose cancer has progressed after initial treatment, often testing immunotherapy or targeted drugs.
Recently added Gastric Cancer trials
TAIC FOLFOX for Locally Advanced G/GEJA
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide in terms of both incidence and mortality. The majority of cases are diagnosed at advanced stage-often presenting with severe complications such as malignant stricture, obstruction, bleeding, and cancer-related malnutrition-which impinge on quality of life and survival outcomes. For patients with unresectable or metastatic gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (G/GEJA), first-line systemic therapy remains predominantly platinum- and fluoropyrimidine-based combination chemotherapy, and targeted agents or immunotherapy can be added based on the expression of biomarkers. Under this standard approach, the median overall survival (mOS) for localized unresectable G/GEJA is approximately 14-20 months. For metastatic G/GEJA, the prognosis remains poor with an mOS of less than 1 year, despite the proven efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. Moreover, up to 25% of cancer survivors report a significant decline in quality of life due to gastrointestinal symptoms during, soon after, or many years after treatment. Interventional oncology approaches-including trans-arterial infusion chemotherapy (TAIC), embolization (TAE), and chemoembolization (TACE)-represent promising locoregional therapeutic strategies. TAIC allows for the direct delivery of cytotoxic agents into the tumor-feeding arteries, thereby maximizing intra-tumoral drug concentration. As one of the most well-recognized applications, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) has been demonstrated in liver cancer by elevating local drug exposure, markedly enhancing antitumor efficacy while minimizing systemic adverse effects. Moreover, chemotherapeutic agents may exert secondary systemic activity against clinically or subclinically disseminated metastases upon systemic circulation, contributing to a sustained "secondary chemotherapy" effect. Owing to its favorable safety profile and preserved antitumor activity, TAIC is particularly suited for frail or elderly patients who are ineligible for surgery or conventional systemic chemotherapy. Given the persistent limitations of current therapeutic paradigms, the feasibility and safety of trans-arterial therapy in the treatment of anti-tumor, hemostasis and obstruction relief for locally advanced G/GEJC remains urgent. The present study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of TAIC for locally advanced G/GEJA.
Complete imaging scans with AI-assisted diagnosis for stomach cancer
This study employed a prospective, randomised crossover trial design to evaluate the clinical utility of the TRACE artificial intelligence system for gastric cancer T-staging. A total of 54 radiologists from tertiary and non-tertiary hospitals, including both senior and junior practitioners, were enrolled. The study aimed to investigate whether AI-assisted diagnosis could improve the diagnostic accuracy of gastric cancer T-staging compared with independent interpretation by radiologists. All participants were required to interpret 60 contrast-enhanced CT cases sequentially, completing two readings for each case: one without AI assistance and one with AI assistance; The order of the two readings was randomised, and a one-month washout period was observed between readings to eliminate memory bias. All cases were pathologically confirmed gastric cancer cases (stages T1-T4b), and the study simultaneously recorded the physicians' T-staging diagnostic results and the time taken per case. The 60 cases per radiologist were randomly selected from a pool of 1,000 histologically confirmed gastric cancer cases, stratified by pathological T stage T1-T4b. The reference standard was postoperative pathological T stage. The primary outcome was the change in T-staging accuracy between AI-assisted reading and standard (unaided) reading.The term "prospective" in this study refers to the prospective execution of radiologist enrollment, randomization, reading procedures, and data collection.
Find Gastric Cancer trials matched specifically to you
Answer 3 quick questions and we'll show you trials that fit your situation.