Gastrointestinal Cancer

At Columbia’s Center for Gastric Cancer Care, our specialists are dedicated to diagnosing, treating, and supporting patients with gastric cancer and other stomach diseases. Our patients benefit from the most cutting-edge medical and technological advances in the field. Equally important is the compassionate and supportive care we provide as patients cope with the emotional issues that often come with a cancer diagnosis. 

Gastric cancer originates in the stomach. Over time, the cancer may invade more deeply into the stomach wall. Because early symptoms--such as bloating, gas, heartburn, and fullness--usually indicate other, less serious disorders, diagnosis for gastric cancer is often delayed. Stomach cancer can grow very large before it causes other symptoms.

One of our primary goals is to ensure that our patients and their loved ones can enjoy life without gastric cancer. We believe that prevention, early detection, and proper treatment of gastric cancer—along with research in pursuit of a cure—are key to achieving our vision of worldwide elimination of deaths and suffering from stomach cancer.

Conditions We Treat

Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to bringing the most advanced, comprehensive, and individualized treatment strategies to the cure and care of our patients with cancerous, precancerous, and non-cancerous tumors of the stomach. 

We are skilled in treating a wide range of conditions, including:

• Stomach cancers (such as gastric adenocarcinoma and premalignant gastric adenomas, including those with high-grade dysplasia and low-grade dysplasia)
• Squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach
• Giant cell carcinoma
• Lymphoma
• Gastric metaplasia
• Gastrointestinal tumors (GISTs) of the stomach
• Neuroendocrine tumors of the stomach, including carcinoids and gastrinomas
• Other neoplastic lesions of the stomach, including leiomyomas, schwannomas, lipomas, and gastric polyps
• Non-neoplastic lesions of the stomach, including hyperplastic polyps, inflammatory polyps, and hamartomatous polyps

Gastric Cancer Services We Provide

In order to accurately diagnose and treat stomach tumors, we offer a comprehensive array of services, including:

• Initial consultation with a specialized surgeon who treats gastric tumors and will lead your treatment strategy
• Input of experts in various subspecialties at a gastric diseases conference
• Endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection for tumors, when possible
• Robotic surgery for curative therapy
• Nutritional support before and after surgery, as well as during chemotherapy and radiation treatment
• Palliative care and pain management

Advanced Techniques

Our Center for Gastric Cancer Care is among the first in the United States to introduce new technologies into clinical practice, including:

• The Confocal Laser Endomicroscope: This obtains enhanced images of the stomach wall to detect and treat early cancers that are not visible by other methods.
• Robotic surgery: This is a minimally invasive treatment for gastric cancer.
• D-2 Lymphadenectomy: This is a technical procedure performed during gastric cancer surgery to improve locoregional control.