What Are the Treatment Options for Gastric Cancer?
Disease description:
My grandfather was recently diagnosed with gastric cancer during a hospital examination. Fortunately, it is not yet very advanced, and the doctors said that actively cooperating with treatment can help alleviate symptoms. I would like to ask: How is gastric cancer typically treated?
Doctor's answer (2)
Dr. Zhang Mingping
Hello, gastric cancer is classified into early-stage, locally advanced (intermediate-stage), and advanced (metastatic) gastric cancer. According to the TNM staging system established by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), gastric cancer is further categorized into Stage I, II, III, and IV.
For early-stage gastric cancer, D2 radical gastrectomy is the standard surgical approach. However, if the lesion is confined to the mucosa and is relatively small—specifically, less than 1 cm in diameter—endoscopic resection is recommended.
Locally advanced gastric cancer primarily encompasses Stage II and III disease. Treatment typically involves D2 radical gastrectomy followed by adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy.
For Stage IV gastric cancer, current clinical practice generally employs conversion therapy or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Following chemotherapy-induced downstaging, surgical resection may become feasible and is then performed if the tumor becomes resectable.
We hope this information is helpful to you. Wishing you good health!
