Palliative care in patients with advanced gastric cancer

This review summarizes approaches to palliative care for advanced gastric cancer (GC). The disease causes specific symptoms such as gastric outlet obstruction, bleeding, weight loss, and/or ascites, which require targeted interventions.
Palliative care should be initiated as early as possible to manage general symptoms, which may improve the patient’s condition and make them eligible for systhemic therapy. Since some patients with stage IV advanced GC now live longer, the importance of palliative interventions has increased. A multidisciplinary approach is highly recommended. Active palliative care allows for effective and timely symptom control, as well as improved quality of life for patients with inoperable GC.