To evaluate the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival rates after curative resection of gastric cancer, MEDLINE (1969-2006), EMBASE (1974-2006), bibliographies, and review articles were searched for relevant articles. The meta-analysis was finally based on 15 trials that included 3212 patients. RR for death in the treated group was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.84-0.96) (P = 0.0010). Little or no significant benefits were suggested in subgroup analyses between different population and regimens either. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer confers slightly significant benefits compared to the surgery only group. The prognoses after surgery may differ among various population groups or because of different regimens.