Treatment for Stage 0 Gastric Cancer

Stage 0 gastric cancer, or gastric carcinoma in situ, is usually treated by surgery alone. Depending on the features of your cancer, your doctor might choose endoscopic mucosal resection, or partial or total gastrectomy:

• Endoscopic mucosal resection -  The surgeon passes a long, flexible tube called an endoscope down your throat and into your stomach. He or she uses the endoscope to remove the tumor.
• Partial (subtotal) gastrectomy - The surgeon removes the part of the stomach that contains the cancer, as well as some of the normal stomach tissue around the cancer. Sometimes, he or she also takes out part of the esophagus or intestine, the spleen (an organ that filters blood and destroys old blood cells), and the lymph nodes near the stomach. The surgeon then reattaches the part of the stomach that is left to the small intestine or esophagus. Since your stomach will be smaller, it will only be able to store a small amount of food. So you will only be able to eat a small amount of food at a time. This means that you will need to eat more often.
• Total gastrectomy - The surgeon removes the entire stomach. The surgeon might also take out the spleen, nearby lymph nodes, and parts of other organs (such as the esophagus, intestines, and pancreas). After removing these organs, the surgeon attaches the end of the esophagus to the small intestine to make a replacement stomach out of intestinal tissue. Your food can be stored in this new stomach before it moves down the intestinal tract. This replacement stomach can only store a small amount of food. So you will only be able to eat a small amount of food at a time. This means that you will need to eat more often.
  

This content has been reviewed and approved by Myo Thant, MD.