Contemporary paradigm for the evaluation and treatment of hereditary gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Survival is linked to stage at diagnosis and tolerance to surgery and adjuvant therapy. The emergence of sophisticated methods to identify patients at high risk for the development of gastric cancer has given us an opportunity to eliminate a lethal disease in an identifiable patient population. Guidelines and recommendations have been established and prophylactic total gastrectomy is considered the most effective treatment. However, this requires substantial physical and emotional investment. It is imperative that patients and families are supported by genetic counseling, ongoing surveillance, and survivorship studies.