Prognostic value of diffuse versus intestinal histotype in patients with gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite its incidence in Western countries had a steady decline over the last decade, gastric cancer (GC) still represents one of the major causes of cancer mortality worldwide (1). The prognosis of GC is mostly related to disease extension according to the seventh TNM classification (2). Currently, the clinical or pathological stage is the only validated tool available in the clinical practice to drive treatment decision-making. However, it must be pointed out that the individual risk of recurrence significantly varies within the same stage, and overall survival (OS) profoundly depends on additional prognostic factors (3,4)