Current practice for gastric cancer treatment in Ukraine

Ukraine registers more than 8,000 new cases of gastric cancer (GC) annually. The disease is usually diagnosed at stage III–IV (65% of cases) and 62.2% of patients die within 1 year. About 70% of patients with GC need chemotherapy, and for most of them, this is the only way to increase their life expectancy. An unsolved problem of nationwide importance is achieving the early diagnosis of GC, which predetermines the treatment outcome. The 5-year survival rate for GC patients in Ukraine is only 13%, while early diagnosed GC is almost totally curable using surgery. Another important task is the development of national diagnosis and treatment standards, which will be based on national breakthroughs and will meet modern international requirements.