Skip to Main Content

Stomach Cancer

Overview

Every year 13,000 men and 8,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer. The cancer usually begins in the cells of the inner layers of the stomach and sometimes spread deeply into the stomach wall. Stomach cancer mostly affects the elderly – two-thirds of those who have it are over the age of 65. It can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages, so it is often diagnosed late.

Our approach to stomach cancer

UCSF's highly trained gastrointestinal oncologists and surgeons provide the most advanced and effective treatments available for stomach cancer. Our team will give you a precise diagnosis and design a personalized treatment plan, which may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. You may also be able to participate in clinical trials of promising new therapies.

In addition, we offer continued care for patients who have completed treatment for gastrointestinal cancers. Our survivorship clinic aims to maximize quality of life and minimize risk of recurrence.

Awards & recognition

  • U S  News and World Report badge recognizing UCSF as part of its 2024-2025 Honor Roll

    Among the top hospitals in the nation

  • Best in Northern California and No. 7 in the nation for cancer care

  • NIH-2x

    Designated comprehensive cancer center

Signs & symptoms

Cancer of the stomach, also called gastric cancer, can be difficult to detect before it has spread. Often, there are no symptoms in the early stages. When symptoms do occur, they may include the following:

  • Indigestion or heartburn
  • Discomfort or pain in the abdomen
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea or constipation
  • Bloating of the stomach after meals
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weakness and fatigue
  • Bleeding, including vomiting blood or having blood in the stool

Diagnosis

To find the cause of symptoms, your doctor will take your medical history, perform a physical exam and recommend laboratory studies. You also may have one or all of the following exams:

  • Fecal occult blood test (FOBT). FOBT is a check for hidden (occult) blood in the stool. This test is done by placing a small amount of stool on a plastic slide or on special paper. It may be tested in your doctor's office or sent to a laboratory. This test is done because stomach cancer sometimes causes bleeding that cannot be seen. However, noncancerous conditions also may cause bleeding, so having blood in the stool does not necessarily mean that a person has cancer.
  • Upper GI series. These are X-rays of the esophagus and stomach (the upper gastrointestinal, or GI, tract). X-rays are taken after you drink a barium solution, a thick, chalky liquid. This test is sometimes called a barium swallow. Barium outlines the stomach on the X-rays, helping your doctor find tumors or other abnormal areas. During the test, your doctor may pump air into the stomach to make small tumors easier to see.
  • Endoscopy. This is an exam of the esophagus and stomach using a thin, lighted tube called a gastroscope, which is passed through the mouth and esophagus to the stomach. Your throat is sprayed with a local anesthetic to reduce discomfort and gagging. You also may receive medicine to relax them. Through the gastroscope, your doctor can look directly at the inside of the stomach. If an abnormal area is found, your doctor can perform a biopsy, or remove some tissue through the gastroscope.
  • Biopsy. A biopsy is a tissue sample that is examined under a microscope, the only sure way to know whether cancer cells are present.

Treatments

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of X-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation for gastric cancer comes from a machine outside the body, or external radiation therapy. Radiation can be used alone or in addition to surgery and chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the stomach.

Treatment given after surgery when no cancer cells can be seen is called adjuvant therapy. There is evidence that adjuvant therapy consisting of chemotherapy and radiation following surgery for cancer of the stomach is effective in some patients.

Surgery

Surgery, called gastrectomy, is the most common treatment for stomach cancer. The surgeon removes part or all of the stomach, as well as some of the tissue around the stomach.

After a partial gastrectomy, your doctor connects the remaining part of your stomach to the esophagus or the small intestine. After a total gastrectomy, your doctor connects the esophagus directly to your small intestine.

Because cancer can spread through the lymphatic system, lymph nodes near the tumor are often removed during surgery so a pathologist can check them for cancer cells.

UCSF Health medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.

Recommended reading

FAQ: Cancer Pathology Tissue Slides

Find frequently asked questions regarding cancer pathology tissue slides, such as how to obtain the slides and what to do with them once you do.

FAQ: Cancer Radiology Scans and Reports

Learn the difference between a radiology report and radiology films or scans as well as why your doctor may be requesting these scans and more.

Self-Care for Caregivers

Caregiver fatigue can be brought on by the physical and emotional demands of caring for a loved one with a serious illness. Learn tips to combat caregiver fatigue here.

Communicating with Your Doctor

The relationship with a doctor is a very personal one, built on communication and trust. In choosing a doctor, the "chemistry" between the two of you must work.

Coping with Chemotherapy

Each person experiences side effects from chemotherapy differently, and different chemotherapy drugs cause different side effects. Learn more here.

Delegation to Help with Fatigue

Fatigue caused by cancer treatment can make it difficult to accomplish even the smallest of tasks. Learn how task delegation can help with this fatigue.

Nutrition Plans for Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment

Discover nutrition plans to follow during your cancer treatment. Manage side effects of chemotherapy, like nausea and vomiting, through nutrition.

Managing Your Treatment

Living with or caring for someone with cancer can be a full-time job. Here are some tips to reduce stress and help navigate the disease more effectively.

Nutrition and Coping with Cancer Symptoms

Side effects of cancer treatment may affect your eating pattern, requiring new ways to get the calories, protein and nutrients that you need. Learn more.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Your time with the doctor is limited, thus it's helpful to prepare for the visit in advance by prioritizing the questions that are important to you. Learn more.

Resources for End of Life

The UCSF Cancer Resource Center has a list of bereavement support groups, counselors, hospice and others dealing with end-of-life issues. Learn more.

Tips for Conserving Your Energy

Cancer and cancer therapy can be accompanied by feelings of extreme fatigue. To help you deal with this fatigue, follow these easy tips help conserve energy.

Using a Medical Calendar and Symptom Log

Take time at the end of each day or each week to reflect back on the symptoms you've had. You can use a calendar to track your symptoms. Learn more here.

Where to get care (2)

    Related clinics (4)

    3

    Cancer Symptom Management

    Cancer Symptom Management

    San Francisco

    Osher Center for Integrative Health

    Osher Center for Integrative Health

    1545 Divisadero St., Fourth Floor
    San Francisco, CA 94115

    2

    Cancer Survivorship and Wellness Institute

    Cancer Survivorship and Wellness Institute

    See both of our San Francisco locations.

    3

    Psycho-Oncology

    Psycho-Oncology

    San Francisco

    Support services

    Support Group

    Art for Recovery

    Creativity can help people with serious illnesses cope, heal and express what they're going through. Find out about our program and how to join.

    Fitness

    Cancer Exercise Counseling

    Our one-on-one exercise training sessions, customized for your needs and abilities, can complement other cancer treatments and speed your recovery.

    Patient Resource

    Cancer Nutrition Counseling

    UCSF Health offers free nutrition counseling to our patients with cancer, as well as nutrition seminars that are open to anyone. Learn more.

    Support Group

    Cancer Support Groups

    These groups offered by the Ida and Joseph Friend Patient and Family Cancer Support Center are free and available to all patients, whether or not you get your health care at UCSF.

    Fitness

    Core & More Class for Cancer Patients

    A strong body helps you fight cancer and enjoy life. Join this class to stabilize your core, strengthen your muscles and improve overall fitness. For cancer patients and caregivers!

    Patient Resource

    Friend to Friend Specialty Shops

    A one-stop boutique for patients with cancer. Get professional help with wigs, prostheses, sun-protective clothing, makeup, skin care and more.

    Class

    Meditation & Guided Imagery for Cancer Patients

    Drop in for a free class designed to help you heal, relax and find balance during your treatment. UCSF and non-UCSF patients are welcome.

    Patient Resource

    Oncology Social Work

    Social workers offer support, problem-solving, help accessing UCSF cancer-related resources and more. Find out how to contact the social worker for your clinic.

    Patient Resource

    Patient & Family Cancer Support Center

    The center offers wellness programming, community, support groups, classes, workshops and more at no cost to people facing cancer and their loved ones.

    Support Group

    Peer Support Programs for Cancer

    Patients are matched with peer support volunteers according to criteria such as diagnosis, cancer stage, age or gender. Speak to someone who's "been there."

    Share