[Evaluation of the gastric cancer treatment guidelines of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association].

Through its 35-year activities, the Japanese Research Society for Gastric Cancer established gold standards of diagnosis and treatment for gastric cancer based on a huge database of nationwide registry and biannual meetings. On the occasion of its transition to the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association,the treatment guidelines were launched based not on strong scientific evidence but on this JRSGC consensus. D2 gastrectomy and endoscopic mucosal resection are regarded as standard in spite of their lack of Western-style evidence. Since then, strong evidence has been successively produced by large-scale trials in Japan, especially in the fields of chemotherapy and lymphadenectomy, and the evidence level of the guidelines has been markedly improved. In 2010, major revisions were made in both the Japanese classification of gastric cancer and the treatment guidelines so that they can each carry out their own role. Management of gastric cancer may include a wide variety of modalities, and it is important for clinicians to have the same standard and produce evidence of new treatment by comparing with the standard.