About Gastric Cancer / Stomach Cancer and its treatment in Chicago. Sandler Cancer Treatment Centers in Chicago and Skokie, IL

Steven A. Sandler, M.D.
Board-Certified in
Hematology & Oncology

Telephone Numbers
Office: (847) 933-0875
Fax: (847) 933-0878
Answering Service: (773) 594-7340

Skokie Office
9669 Kenton, Suite 510
Skokie, IL 60076
Map and directions

Chicago Office
7447 W. Talcott Ave., Suite 318
Chicago, IL 60631
Map and directions

Call us at 847-933-0875 or send Dr. Sandler a message via the form below. Please note that this form is for non-emergencies only.

Gastric Cancer / Stomach Cancer Information and Treatment

About Gastric Cancer / Stomach Cancer

Gastric cancer is a cancer that forms in the tissue lining of the stomach. Before a true cancer develops, pre-cancerous changes often occur in the lining of the stomach. These early changes rarely cause symptoms and therefore often go undetected.

Gastric cancer can spread in different ways. It can grow through the wall of the stomach and invade nearby organs. It can also spread to the lymph vessels and nearby lymph nodes. The stomach has a very rich network of lymph vessels and nodes. If cancer spreads to the lymph nodes, the patient's outlook is not as good. When the stomach cancer becomes more advanced, it can travel through the bloodstream and spread to organs such as the liver, lungs, and bones.

Signs and symptoms may include:

Early stages: indigestion, heartburn and loss of appetite
Later stages: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, blood in the stool, diarrhea and constipation

Gastric Cancer / Stomach Cancer Treatment

Gastric cancer is usually treated with surgery. However, patients who have cancer that has spread through the wall of the stomach or into the lymph nodes benefit from chemotherapy prior to the surgery. At Sandler Cancer Treatment Centers, we call this a neoadjuvant approach and it has been remarkably successful. Unfortunately, many of these patients are found to be at a locally advanced stage and need this aggressive treatment to be cured. There are some newer treatments for the advanced-staged patient. Chemotherapy is well tolerated, often times without any loss of hair or vomiting that used to be common with chemotherapy.