Targeted chemotherapy delivery for gastric cancer

Gastric Cancer Breakthrough: Can Combining Chemo Methods Boost Survival?

Lena Voss in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research explores if a dual chemotherapy approach offers a significant advantage for patients with advanced, unresectable gastric cancer."

Gastric cancer remains a formidable challenge, ranking among the most common cancers and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The difficulty lies in its often late diagnosis, where many patients find themselves with advanced-stage disease, ineligible for surgery. Systemic chemotherapy, while a standard treatment, frequently encounters limitations due to its broad impact and often insufficient drug concentration at the tumor site.

Recognizing these challenges, researchers have been exploring innovative approaches to enhance chemotherapy's effectiveness. One such strategy involves combining intra-arterial chemotherapy, which delivers drugs directly to the tumor's blood supply, with traditional intravenous chemotherapy. This dual approach aims to maximize drug concentration at the tumor while also addressing cancer cells that may have spread throughout the body.

This article delves into a recent study investigating the efficacy and safety of this combined chemotherapy approach for patients with unresectable, advanced gastric cancer. We'll explore the potential benefits, identify the patients most likely to benefit, and discuss the implications for future cancer treatment strategies.

Dual Chemotherapy: A Promising Strategy for Advanced Gastric Cancer?

Targeted chemotherapy delivery for gastric cancer

The core of the study lies in comparing outcomes for patients receiving combined intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy versus those treated with intravenous chemotherapy alone. The study retrospectively analyzed data from 128 patients diagnosed with unresectable, advanced gastric cancer. These patients were divided into two groups: a combined group receiving both types of chemotherapy (n=62) and a venous group receiving only intravenous chemotherapy (n=66).

Researchers then meticulously compared several key factors between the two groups to assess the effectiveness of the combined approach, focusing on:

Clinical Response: How well the tumors responded to the treatment.
Overall Survival (OS): The length of time patients lived after treatment.
Time to Symptomatic Progression: The time it took for symptoms to worsen.
Adverse Reactions: The side effects experienced by patients in each group.

The results revealed a significant increase in the overall response rate in the combined group (35.5%) compared to the venous group (19.7%). This suggests that the combined approach was more effective at shrinking or stabilizing tumors. The combined approach also significantly prolonged both overall survival and the time to symptomatic progression.

The Future of Gastric Cancer Treatment: Personalized and Precise

This study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that a combined intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy approach may offer a significant advantage for select patients with advanced gastric cancer. The improved response rates, prolonged survival, and extended time to symptomatic progression highlight the potential of this strategy.

However, the researchers also emphasized the importance of identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from this combined approach. Their analysis revealed that patients with an earlier TNM stage (indicating less advanced disease) and distinct tumor staining (suggesting a specific tumor characteristic) experienced the most significant improvements in outcome.

Looking ahead, further research is needed to refine patient selection criteria and optimize the combined chemotherapy regimen. As cancer treatment continues to evolve towards personalized and precise approaches, studies like this pave the way for more effective and targeted therapies, ultimately improving the lives of patients battling this challenging disease. Further studies on NLR and cNLR need to be done to confirm findings.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.3892/ol.2018.8068, Alternate LINK

Title: Combined Intra-Arterial And Intravenous Chemotherapy For Unresectable, Advanced Gastric Cancer Has An Improved Curative Effect Compared With Intravenous Chemotherapy Only

Subject: Cancer Research

Journal: Oncology Letters

Publisher: Spandidos Publications

Authors: Jinfeng Wang, Huacun Shi, Guang Yang, Guangjie Han, Man Zhao, Xiaoling Duan, Lili Mi, Xin Han, Ning Li, Jianfei Shi, Xiaolei Yin, Fei Yin

Published: 2018-02-16

Everything You Need To Know

How effective is the dual chemotherapy approach combining intra-arterial and intravenous methods, compared to just intravenous chemotherapy, for advanced gastric cancer?

The study found that patients receiving both intra-arterial chemotherapy (delivered directly to the tumor's blood supply) and intravenous chemotherapy (traditional systemic treatment) showed a significantly better clinical response compared to those receiving only intravenous chemotherapy. Specifically, the combined group had a higher overall response rate, meaning their tumors shrank or stabilized more effectively.

Besides tumor response, what other key outcomes were improved by using combined intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer?

The research indicates that combining intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy not only improved tumor response but also led to a significant prolongation of overall survival and the time to symptomatic progression. This means patients lived longer and experienced a longer period before their symptoms worsened compared to those treated with intravenous chemotherapy alone. The study highlights the potential benefits of a more targeted approach in managing advanced gastric cancer.

How was the study designed to evaluate the efficacy of combining intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy for treating advanced gastric cancer?

The study retrospectively analyzed data from 128 patients with unresectable, advanced gastric cancer, divided into two groups: one receiving combined intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy (n=62) and another receiving only intravenous chemotherapy (n=66). The effectiveness of the combined approach was assessed by comparing clinical response, overall survival, time to symptomatic progression, and adverse reactions between the two groups. This controlled comparison allowed researchers to evaluate the potential benefits of the dual chemotherapy strategy.

What aspects of the combined intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy treatment for gastric cancer were not covered in this study?

While the study demonstrates the potential advantages of combined intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy, it does not delve into the specific types or dosages of chemotherapy drugs used. It also doesn't provide a detailed analysis of the long-term side effects associated with the combined approach compared to intravenous chemotherapy alone. Future research could explore these aspects to refine treatment protocols and minimize potential risks.

What are the broader implications of these findings on combining intra-arterial and intravenous chemotherapy for the future of gastric cancer treatment strategies?

The findings suggest a potential shift toward more personalized and precise treatment strategies for advanced gastric cancer. By delivering chemotherapy directly to the tumor via intra-arterial administration, higher drug concentrations can be achieved at the tumor site, potentially enhancing its effectiveness. Combining this with systemic intravenous chemotherapy addresses cancer cells that may have spread beyond the primary tumor, offering a more comprehensive approach. Further research is needed to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from this combined approach and to optimize treatment protocols for maximum efficacy and minimal toxicity.