What care is appropriate and necessary for metastatic gastric cancer patients? Results of a RAND/UCLA expert panel

70 Background: Most gastric cancer patients present with advanced stage disease precluding curative surgical treatment. The utility of surgical and non-surgical options for non-curative, advanced disease is debated and the appropriate treatment strategy unclear. Methods: A multi-disciplinary expert panel of 16 physicians from 6 countries, scored 47 scenarios using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Methodology. Appropriateness was scored from 1 (highly inappropriate) to 9 (highly appropriate). Median appropriateness scores (AS) from 1-3 were considered inappropriate, 4-6 uncertain, and 7-9, appropriate. Agreement was reached when 11 of 16 panelists scored the statement similarly. If a statement was agreed to be appropriate, it was then given a necessity score (NS) in the same manner. Results: Surgical resection and bypass were agreed to be inappropriate in patients with minor symptoms and visible carcinomatosis, liver metastases or more than one site of metastatic disease for cardia and distal lesions (AS 1.0-3.5). The expert panel disagreed on the role for surgical resection in patients who were cytology positive only (AS 4-6). The role of resection for patients with major symptoms if they had visible carcinomatosis, liver metastases or more than one site of metastatic disease (AS 2-5) was indeterminate. Patients with distal tumours and major symptoms and multiple liver metastases or more than one site of metastatic disease were considered indeterminate for surgical resection (AS 2). Best supportive care was agreed to be appropriate for patients with minor symptoms and multiple liver metastases or more than one site of metastatic disease (AS 8, NS 5-6). Conclusions: The role of surgery in metastatic gastric cancer treatment decision-making is not supported by experts for the majority of scenarios. Continued uncertainty in appropriate and necessary treatment decision-making for advanced patients with a minimal burden metastatic disease exists and underscores the need for randomized controlled trials.