Surgery to relieve the symptoms of stomach cancer

Surgery can help relieve symptoms of advanced stomach cancer. The main reason people have surgery is to relieve a blockage. There are different types of surgery. 

Why do you need surgery?

You might need surgery to relieve symptoms if you have advanced cancer and it can’t be cured. This is called palliative surgery. 

The main reason people have surgery is to relieve a blockage. Stomach cancer can grow so that it blocks, or partly blocks, the passage of food through your digestive system. This can cause:

• feeling full after eating only small amounts
• pain
• sickness
• constipation
• bleeding

You may have surgery to relieve these symptoms, or stop them getting worse.

Types of surgery

There are two types of operation:

• surgery to remove part of your stomach – partial gastrectomy
• bypass surgery

Other treatments for a blockage include:

• a stent
• chemotherapy or targeted drugs
• radiotherapy

Surgery to remove part of your stomach

Removing part of your stomach is also called a partial gastrectomy. This surgery can relieve a blockage. How much the surgeon removes depends on the position of the cancer.

You have a smaller stomach afterwards and you need to eat small amounts more often, rather than a big meal.

Bypass surgery

You may have a bypass operation if your surgeon can’t remove the cancer. The surgeon attaches the small bowel (jejunum) to the part of the stomach above the blockage. The food can then move through the bowel.