Editor’s Note: The 27th National Clinical Oncology Conference and 2024 CSCO Annual Meeting was held in Xiamen from September 25 to 29, 2024. This year’s theme, “Patient-Centered, Future-Sharing,” brought together major research advancements and developments from around the world. A dedicated gastric cancer session was organized, gathering top experts in the field to explore the latest progress, technologies, and concepts in gastric cancer treatment. We invited Dr. Baorui Liu, Chair of the gastric cancer session and Director of the Oncology Center at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital,The Affiliated Hospita of Nanjing University Medical School to share key highlights and discussions from the session.

This year’s CSCO gastric cancer session covered a wide range of topics, primarily focusing on improving the efficacy of gastric cancer treatments. These discussions included advancements in minimally invasive surgery, the evaluation of radiation therapy, and the integration of radiation therapy into comprehensive treatment plans. The session continued to highlight the importance of immunotherapy, discussing the tumor microenvironment, immune-related targets, and strategies to combine immunotherapy with other treatments to enhance outcomes.

The experts provided deep, detailed discussions, and the audience was highly engaged. I believe this was a high-level summit on integrated gastric cancer treatment. In recent years, gastric cancer treatments have made rapid progress, including the introduction of new targeted therapies and related drugs, now included in treatment guidelines. However, as one of the most common malignancies in China, we still feel that there are not enough treatment options in clinical practice. We hope for more and better drugs to further improve outcomes for gastric cancer patients.

Aside from evidence-based medicine reflected in guidelines, there has also been significant exploration of new ideas in gastric cancer treatment. For example, both domestic and international researchers have been exploring vaccine-related research in gastric cancer. Studies have shown that vaccines can enhance the immune response in some patients, leading to improved treatment outcomes in certain cases.

Additionally, immune cell therapy—such as genetically modified CAR-T or non-genetically modified tumor-targeted immune cell treatments—has been explored in clinical practice. I’ve learned that some domestic institutions are conducting IIT clinical studies and have found that some patients have shown significant improvement when combining antibody therapies with conventional chemotherapy. We look forward to presenting even more exciting and novel results in the gastric cancer session at next year’s CSCO meeting.

This conference also demonstrated the growth of many young experts who are full of energy. These emerging scholars possess sharp thinking, strong communication skills, and excellent language abilities. We eagerly anticipate that future generations of scientists and physicians will continue to grow, elevate the standard of gastric cancer treatment, and contribute to the continuous improvement of gastric cancer diagnosis and treatment in China.

Dr. Baorui Liu

Dr. Baorui Liu is the Director of the Oncology Center and the Immunotherapy Center at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital,The Affiliated Hospita of Nanjing University Medical School. He is also the Director of the Clinical Cancer Research Institute of Nanjing University. As a chief physician, professor, and doctoral supervisor, Professor Liu serves as the Chair of the Integrative Oncology Branch of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and the Vice-Chair of the Gastric Cancer Expert Committee of CSCO. He has published more than 15 articles with an impact factor greater than 10 and has received numerous awards, including the National Science and Technology Progress Award and several patents. His research focuses on personalized drug therapy for difficult-to-treat tumors and individualized targeted immunotherapy.