Videos Chat Home page Successful treatment depends on early diagnosis. Because symptoms may not be noticeable until late stages, a periodic upper GI for pre-symptomatic screening is recommended for those with enhanced risk profiles starting at age 50. Confer with your doctor to determine how often you need this test. Surgery - The most common treatment for gastric cancer is a gastrectomy, where all or part of the stomach and some adjacent tissues are removed. In a subtotal gastrectomy, where only part of the stomach is excised, the remaining section is connected to the esophagus or small intestine.
Total gastrectomies mandate connecting the esophagus directly to the small intestine.
Neither chemotherapy nor radiation has the ability to cure stomach cancer, but they may slow the spread of the disease. On the horizon Recognizing the urgent need to combat the advanced stage stomach cancers usually are seen in the operating theater, researchers are working on a wide range of treatments to stop stomach cancer. There's probably not going to be one standard regimen that's superior to others, but there is a spillover that is showing continuing promise. Lenz expects Oxaliplatin, which is already used in Europe, to be successful in American clinical trials for treating colorectal cancer and to be effective for treatment of stomach cancer as well. Proteasome inhibitors - Interruption and interference of tumor cells' growth controls shows promise for gastric cancer.