Australian perspective on the role of targeted therapies in gastroesophageal cancer

Abstract

Oesophagogastric cancers are the fourth highest cause of cancer related deaths worldwide and the sixth most common cause of cancer related deaths in the Australian population. Their incidence has been increasing in Australia, and unlike other tumour types such as breast, there has been no significant improvement in relapse-free or overall survival rates, with five year mortality rates for gastric cancer of 25% and less than 20% for oesophageal cancers. This is partly due to patients commonly presenting with late stage disease, but significantly also due to ineffective chemotherapeutic regimens for advanced oesophagogastric cancer. However, with the promise shown by targeted therapies in othe..