Despite a decreasing frequency gastric cancer is the fifth or sixth most common cancer in Germany. Usually the cancer is discovered in an advanced stage. This article is based primarily on the current S3 guidelines for gastric cancer published 2011. General aspects of risk factors, diagnosis and therapy with the current classification system are the main topics in this article. Furthermore, this article focuses on treatment of local advanced disease. Especially in recent years, many studies have dealt with the concept of perioperative treatment. However, a worldwide standard of care could not be reached for this indication.