Treatment of advanced gastric cancer with cetuximab plus chemotherapy followed by surgery. Report of a case

The prognosis of patients affected by advanced gastric cancer who did not undergo non-curative resection is extremely poor. We report a case of a 26-year-old woman affected by gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinosis in whom surgical treatment was not considered. The patient was enrolled in the Italian phase II trial of cetuximab (Erbitux, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), a monoclonal antibody, in combination with docetaxel and cisplatin chemotherapy Restaging of the tumor showed progressive regression, so the patient underwent a total gastrectomy. The patient is alive, well and disease-free ten months after surgery. The good result achieved in this patient provides interesting prospects for chemotherapy combined with cetuximab, followed by surgery.