Saudi Oncology Society Clinical Management Guideline Series Gastric Cancer 2014

A total 291 cases of stomach cancer were diagnosed in 2010 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia according to the Saudi Cancer Registry data.1 Stomach cancer ranked eleventh among the male and female population. It account for 2.9% of all diagnosed cancers. The overall age standardized rate was 2.7/100,000, with a rate of 3.1/100,000 for males and 2.3/100,000 for females. The median age at diagnosis was 65 years for males (range 4-94 years), and 60 years for females (range 23-100 years). A committee of experts in the medical and surgical treatment of colorectal cancer was established under the supervision of the Saudi Oncology Society (SOS). The evidence adopted in these guidelines is rated at 3 levels: 1) Evidence level (EL)-1 (highest level) evidence from phase III randomized trials or meta-analyses, 2) EL-2 (intermediate-level) evidence from good phase II trials or phase III trials with limitations, and 3) EL-3 (low-level) from retrospective or observational data and/or expert opinion. This easy-to-follow grading system is convenient for the reader and allows accurate assessment of the applicability of the guidelines in individual patients.2 All gastric cancer cases are preferably seen or discussed in a multidisciplinary form.