From March 12 to March 14, 2025, the 97th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association (JGCA) was held in Nagoya, Japan. The event brought together leading gastric cancer experts and scholars from Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, and beyond, to exchange the latest research findings, cutting-edge technologies, and evolving treatment strategies in gastric cancer.A study from the Chinese PLA General Hospital—focused on predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in gastric cancer using proteomic analysis—was selected for oral presentation (MO8-7) at the conference. Oncology Frontier invited the study’s corresponding authors, Professor Bo Wei of The First Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, and Professor Zekuan Xu of The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, to provide expert insights into this important research.
Professor Bo Wei:
In recent years, large phase III clinical trials—such as CheckMate-649, ORIENT-16, and RATIONALE-305—have successively demonstrated the survival benefits of chemoimmunotherapy in advanced gastric cancer, solidifying it as a first-line treatment option. However, while the combination of PD-1 inhibitors with chemotherapy significantly extends survival in some patients, nearly 40% to 50% still do not benefit from this approach. This makes it critical to accurately identify treatment-sensitive subpopulations in order to improve overall therapeutic outcomes for patients with advanced gastric cancer.
What makes this study unique is that it is the first prospective, multicenter, real-world study to apply proteomics technology to FFPE tumor tissues from patients with advanced gastric cancer undergoing chemoimmunotherapy. By analyzing the proteomic profile at a microscopic level, the research uncovers potential mechanisms that drive macro-level treatment responses. Furthermore, a predictive model was developed using machine learning, and interim results have shown promising accuracy—offering clinicians valuable scientific evidence to support personalized treatment decisions.
In the current era of rapidly evolving precision oncology, this study provides important proteomic evidence for predicting sensitivity to chemoimmunotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. It marks a critical step forward in the path toward personalized and precision medicine for gastric cancer patients. While challenges remain, continued technological advancement and deeper research are expected to expand the role of proteomics in identifying sensitive patient subgroups and guiding individualized treatment strategies.
Professor Zekuan Xu:
In recent years, studies like Checkmate-649 and Attraction-4 have powerfully demonstrated the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, advancing its clinical application. However, a deeper analysis of the data from Checkmate-649 and Attraction-4 reveals that while the chemoimmunotherapy regimen improves the objective response rate in patients with advanced gastric cancer, nearly 40% of patients remain insensitive to the treatment. Therefore, the urgent issue now is to identify more accurate predictive markers to select sensitive patients for this combined treatment approach.
In this context, proteomics technology has brought hope in overcoming the current bottlenecks in identifying immune-sensitive populations. Compared to genomics, proteomics offers unique advantages. While genomics reflects the potential risk of disease development, proteomics provides a real-time snapshot of the disease’s biological state, offering a more direct and comprehensive reflection of the tumor’s biological characteristics. This makes proteomics an invaluable tool in predicting treatment response.
The application of proteomics in gastric cancer precision therapy holds great promise. On the one hand, using proteomics to identify patients sensitive to neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy can optimize treatment strategies, increase treatment effectiveness, and ultimately improve patient survival. On the other hand, proteomics provides more potential therapeutic targets for gastric cancer precision treatment. By analyzing protein expression profiles, new therapeutic targets and signaling pathways can be identified, laying the foundation for the development of novel anti-gastric cancer drugs and treatment strategies.
In addition to predicting treatment efficacy and identifying new targets, proteomics offers several other potential applications in the field of gastric cancer precision therapy. For example, it can be used to assess prognostic risk in gastric cancer patients by analyzing protein expression patterns. This allows for precise stratification of patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, providing a scientific basis for personalized follow-up and intervention. It can also be used to monitor dynamic changes during treatment, promptly revealing mechanisms of drug resistance, and offering guidance for real-time adjustments to treatment plans.
In summary, proteomics holds tremendous potential in the field of gastric cancer precision therapy. As research continues to advance and technology continues to innovate, proteomics is poised to provide more treatment options and hope for gastric cancer patients, opening a new chapter in precision medicine for gastric cancer.
Corresponding Author
- Deputy Director, Department of General Surgery, First Medical Center, PLAGH
- Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
- Recognized as a Leading Talent in Military Scientific Innovation and recipient of the prestigious “Outstanding Young Talent” award
- Recipient of the State Council Special Allowance
- Chair of the Digestive Tract Tumor Committee, Chinese Research Hospital Association
- Standing Member and Secretary-General of the Upper GI Surgery Committee, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
- Principal investigator of more than ten national and municipal-level research projects, including grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key R&D Program, and Beijing Science and Technology initiatives
- Lead contributor to award-winning research projects in the field of minimally invasive gastrointestinal oncology and perioperative management, having received the First Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award and the Hainan Provincial Science and Technology Progress First Prize
- Author of over 100 academic publications as corresponding author in high-impact journals, including Gastroenterology, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, Advanced Materials, iMeta, Military Medical Research, and the International Journal of Surgery
First Author
- Joint PhD candidate jointly trained by Nankai University and the General Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army (PLAGH)
- Research focus: Minimally invasive surgical treatment of gastric cancer and prediction of treatment response during the perioperative period
- First or co-first author of 12 SCI-indexed publications and 13 papers in core Chinese medical journals
- Delivered oral presentations as first author at numerous major academic conferences, including the International Gastric Cancer Congress, Japanese Gastric Cancer Association Annual Meeting, Korea International Gastric Cancer Week, and the National Gastric Cancer Congress
- Recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the First Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award, First Prize of the Hainan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, Best Oral Presentation Award at the National Gastric Cancer Conference, Second Prize in the National Youth General Surgery English Paper Competition, the Zhou Enlai Scholarship from Nankai University, and recognition as one of Nankai University’s “Students of the Year”
Expert Profile
- Director, Gastric Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
- PhD supervisor; Director of the Gastric Cancer Research Institute, Nanjing Medical University
- Board Member, International Gastric Cancer Association (IGCA)
- Member, Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association
- Standing Committee Member, Surgery Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
- Vice Chair, Gastric Cancer Quality Control Expert Committee, National Cancer Center of China
- Member, Gastrointestinal Surgery Group, Surgery Branch, Chinese Medical Association
- Vice Chair, Upper GI Surgery Committee, Surgery Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
- Vice Chair, GIST Management Committee, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
- Vice Chair, Digestive Oncology and Robotic & Laparoscopic Surgery Committees, Chinese Research Hospital Association
- Vice Chair, Surgery Branch, China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Health Care
- Vice Chair, General Surgery Branch, Chinese Geriatrics Society
- Deputy Head, Minimally Invasive Surgery Group, Gastric Cancer Committee, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
- Standing Committee Member, Gastric Cancer Committee, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
- President, Surgery Branch, Jiangsu Medical Doctor Association
- Former Chair, Surgery Branch, Jiangsu Medical Association
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons (FACS)
- Member, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)
· Specialization: Basic and Clinical Research in Gastric Tumors, with a clinical focus on standardized radical treatment and laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer.
