Gastrointestinal cancer educational case series: the history and management of complex cases in gi oncology. A 72 year-old man with metastatic gastric cancer.

Introduction: Gastric cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Appropriate staging and treatment options relate to the stage of disease and performance status of the patient.

Case Report: Here we present the case of a 72 year old male, with an initial presentation of apparently locally advanced gastric cancer. On discovery of metastatic disease, the utility of palliative gastrectomy, and first and second line chemotherapy are discussed.

Discussion: This case demonstrates the potential value of sequential lines of chemotherapy in good performance status patients with advanced gastric cancer. Further research will be necessary in order to assess the utility of newer targeted agents in this setting.