Stomach Cancer

Cancer (Oncology)

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NewYork-Presbyterian Cancer Centers physicians are addressing cancers of the stomach medically, with chemotherapy approaches; surgically, with emphasis on minimally invasive procedures; and through radiation therapy to spare patients from major surgery. Patients benefit from the collaboration between gastroenterologists, who perform endoscopic ultrasound of the stomach to define the extent of the gastric cancer, and surgical oncologists, who use laparoscopy to stage the disease and then determine the most effective way to remove the tumor. Our surgeons were among the first in the country to use laparoscopic procedures for patients with very early gastric cancer and are increasingly using this approach, which dramatically enhances recovery by shortening length of stay in the hospital and enabling patients to return to normal activities more quickly.

Patients with more advanced digestive disease cancers can be treated with intraoperative chemotherapy following surgery to reduce the tumor. Radiation oncologists provide treatment for gastric cancers that combine chemotherapy with radiation therapy to improve outcomes. In addition, they have pioneered techniques in intraoperative brachytherapy—implanting either temporary or permanent radioactive seeds at the time of surgery for abdominal malignancies.

At the same time, our physicians are pursuing research into tumor biology, as well as the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal inflammation and its relationship to gastrointestinal cancer. They are also studying the physiologic, oncologic, and immunologic consequences of abdominal surgery.

Patients who come to NewYork-Presbyterian Cancer Centers for care also have access to some of the most important and advanced clinical trials in the country for gastric cancer. These trials include investigations related to: