Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer Is Not Solely the Domain of the Oncologist

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious

Adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents create a persistent clinical challenge in gastric cancer management. Evidence across the literature describes diverse toxicities, showing that even when chemotherapy controls disease progression it can still produce substantial multiorgan sequelae that affect quality of life and treatment feasibility. Poor therapeutic benefit at the start of a regimen often coincides with difficult recovery and inability to tolerate subsequent cycles. Because universally personalized treatment remains unavailable, a multidisciplinary team including oncology, gastroenterology, and internal medicine is required to plan and implement regimens. The authors recommend administration within internal medicine departments with close collaboration with oncology and gastroenterology when adverse effects outweigh benefits.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Simple Summary

Abstract

Keywords

1. Introduction

Review Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer Is Not Solely the Domain of the Oncologist Gabriel Samasca 1, Ioana Badiu Tisa 2, Calin Lazar 3, Ciprian N. Silaghi 4, *, Diana Deleanu 5, Adriana Muntean 1,5 and Iulia Lupan 6 Academic Editors: Hidekazu Suzuki and Farrukh Aqil Received: 3 December 2025 Revised: 22 December 2025 Accepted: 30 December 2025 Published: 31 December 2025 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Department of Immunology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; [gabriel.samasca@umfcluj.ro](gabriel.samasca@umfcluj.ro) (G.S.) 2 Department of Nursing, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400217 Cluj-Napoca, Romania 3 Department of Pediatrics 1, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400370 Cluj-Napoca, Romania 4 Department of Medical Biochemistry, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania 5 Department of Internal Medicine, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology “Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania 6 Department of Molecular Biology, Babes-Bolyai University, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania * Correspondence: [silaghi.ciprian@umfcluj.ro](silaghi.ciprian@umfcluj.ro) Simple Summary In the context of gastric cancer, chemotherapy is frequently employed as a systemic treatment, particularly when curative options are limited or not feasible. Patients diagnosed with cancer often seek to extend survival and may place considerable hope in chemotherapy as a key therapeutic avenue. The efficacy of chemotherapy depends on adequate recovery between treatment cycles, with the patient’s hematologic and systemic recovery status serving as key determinants of tolerance to subsequent doses and of overall treatment outcome. The administration of chemotherapy regimens frequently results in immunosuppression, and this compromised immune state elevates patients’ susceptibility to opportunistic infections, with implications for infection prevention and management. During intervals between chemotherapy cycles, access to rehydration infusions that provide vitamins B1, B6, and C is frequently limited, and payment for these adjunctive therapies is commonly borne by patients. Given the significance of the issue, urgent engagement by the medical community appears warranted; this article presents a potential solution. Abstract Adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents remain a significant clinical challenge in the management of gastric cancer. Across the literature, discussions of chemotherapy consistently document a range of toxicities, underscoring that even when treatment halts disease progression, it can leave substantial clinical sequelae. Chemotherapy can impact virtually every organ system, producing multiorgan toxicity with meaningful implications for patient quality of life and treatment feasibility. When initiating a new chemotherapy regimen, prior lack of therapeutic benefit is often associated with difficult recovery or inability to tolerate subsequent chemotherapy, thereby constraining future therapeutic options. Given these considerations and the current absence of universally personalized treatment, a multidisciplinary team—comprising a medical oncologist, gastroenterologist, and internist—is essential to the planning and execution of chemotherapy regimens. We recommend that these chemotherapy regimens be administered within internal medicine departments, in collaboration with the medical oncologist and gastroenterologist, because in many cases the adverse effects outweigh the potential benefits of chemotherapy. Keywords: a multidisciplinary team; chemotherapy; gastric cancer 1. Introduction Cancers of the digestive tract, including gastric, colorectal, and hepatic malignancies, represent a subst

FAQs

Why can chemotherapy be difficult for gastric cancer patients to tolerate over time?

Chemotherapy regimens frequently induce immunosuppression, which increases susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Tolerance to subsequent doses depends on adequate hematologic and systemic recovery between cycles.

What clinical problems do the authors highlight about adverse effects in gastric cancer chemotherapy?

Adverse effects remain a significant challenge and chemotherapy can produce multiorgan toxicity. Even when treatment halts progression, toxicities can leave substantial clinical sequelae that limit quality of life and feasibility.

What multidisciplinary team is recommended for planning chemotherapy regimens?

The article emphasizes a multidisciplinary team including a medical oncologist, gastroenterologist, and internist. It recommends coordinated planning and execution, with regimens administered in internal medicine departments in collaboration with oncology and gastroenterology.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious