Stomach cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death globally, in part because most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when surgery is no longer possible. Research is rapidly expanding treatment options for a disease that was long limited to chemotherapy.
What's actually going on in research
HER2-positive gastric cancers now have targeted antibody-drug conjugate options in addition to trastuzumab, and the field is moving toward biomarker-driven treatment selection. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved survival in advanced disease and are being added to chemotherapy across tumor subtypes. FGFR2 inhibitors and claudin 18.2-targeted drugs represent new avenues for patients whose tumors carry these markers.
HER2-targeted therapy
Beyond trastuzumab, newer antibody-drug conjugates targeting HER2 are being tested in gastric cancer and showing strong results in patients with low and high HER2 expression.
Claudin 18.2 targeting
Claudin 18.2 is overexpressed in many gastric tumors; antibodies and CAR-T therapies targeting this protein are in trials for advanced and treatment-resistant disease.
Checkpoint immunotherapy
PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy have improved survival in front-line treatment and are being tested in combination with other agents and in earlier disease stages.
What to know before you search
Eligibility commonly depends on HER2, PD-L1, MSI, FGFR2, and claudin 18.2 status, plus disease stage and prior treatment history.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new drug combinations, immunotherapies, or targeted agents in advanced or metastatic gastric cancer.
- Perioperative trials — Testing chemotherapy or targeted therapy before and after surgery to improve cure rates.
- Biomarker trials — Identifying genetic or protein markers that predict treatment response and guide therapy selection.
- Surgical trials — Comparing minimally invasive versus open surgery approaches and extent of lymph node removal.
- Supportive care trials — Managing nutrition, nausea, and post-gastrectomy complications.
Recently added Gastric Cancer trials
Comparison of Partial Stomach-Partitioning and Conventional Gastrojejunostomy for the Treatment of Gastric Outlet Obstruction in Advanced Gastric Cancer
The primary goal of clinical treatment is to relieve obstruction, restore oral feeding, improve nutritional status and improve quality of life in patients with advanced gastric cancer outflow tract obstruction. At present, the common surgical treatment for relieving obstruction is traditional gastrojejunostomy. Although the operation can relieve the obstruction, there are problems such as tumor-induced bleeding, anastomotic invasion, and high incidence of delayed gastric emptying after operation. Partitioned gastrojejunostomy effectively relieves obstruction by anastomosis of a part of the stomach to the jejunum, and isolates the tumor from the anastomosis, which is beneficial to food emptying and can reduce the risk of bleeding and anastomotic invasion. The safety and efficacy of these two procedures are still controversial, mainly because previous studies were retrospective studies or included a small sample size or enrolled patients with different pathological characteristics. The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of separated and traditional gastrojejunostomy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer outflow tract obstruction, and to provide the best choice for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer outflow tract obstruction.
LM-302 and S-1 Plus Intraperitoneal Paclitaxel With or Without Cadonilimab for Claudin 18.2-positive Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma With Peritoneal Metastasis: a Prospective, Exploratory Study
In this study, the investigators will use LM-302 and S-1 plus intraperitoneal paclitaxel with or without Cadonilimab to treat Claudin 18.2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma with peritoneal metastasis.
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