Stomach Cancer Treatment

There are treatments for most patients with stomach cancer. Two kinds of treatment are used:

  1. Surgery
  2. Chemotherapy (use of drugs to kill cancer cells).

Radiation therapy and biologic therapy are being evaluated in clinical trials. Surgery is a common treatment for all stages of stomach cancer.

Your doctor may remove the cancer using one of the following procedures:

Subtotal gastrectomy

A subtotal gastrectomy removes the part of the stomach that contains cancer and some other tissues and organs that are close to the tumor. Nearby lymph nodes are also removed (lymph node dissection). The spleen (an organ in the upper abdomen that filters blood and removes old blood cells) may be removed if needed.

Total gastrectomy

A total gastrectomy removes the entire stomach and sometimes parts of the esophagus, small intestine, and other tissues near the tumor. The spleen is removed in some cases. Nearby lymph nodes are also removed (lymph node dissection). The esophagus is connected to the small intestine so that the patient can continue to eat and swallow. If only part of the stomach is removed, the patient will be able to continue eating in a fairly normal way. If the entire stomach is removed, the patient may need to eat small, frequent meals and foods that contain little sugar and a lot of fat and protein. Most patients can adjust to this new diet.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be taken in pill form or inserted into the body with a needle into a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug is introduced into the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the stomach. Treatment given after surgery, when cancer cells cannot be seen, is called adjuvant therapy. Adjuvant therapy for stomach cancer is being evaluated in clinical trials.

Radiotherapy

Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or from radiation-producing materials (radioisotopes) inserted through thin plastic tubes into the area where the cancer cells are located (internal radiation therapy).

Biological therapy

Biological therapy tries to get the body itself to fight cancer. It uses materials made by the body or made in a laboratory to stimulate, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against disease. Biologic therapy is also known as biologic response modifying therapy (BRM) or immunotherapy.