Stomach cancer treatment with open stomach surgery

Doctors prescribe tests to prepare for surgery and ensure the patient's condition is suitable for further treatment. For example, lab tests, including complete blood count, urinalysis, and blood biochemical analysis, help better understand the patient's general condition. In addition, CT scans and X-ray examinations help plan future surgery treatment more detailed. Right before the surgery, the patient gets a general narcosis. Afterward, surgeons create an incision on the abdomen to access the stomach. Depending on the tumor stage, severity, and histological type, they might remove only a part of the stomach or the whole organ. They also inspect all surrounding tissues to determine any signs of metastatic lesions and remove them if required. After that, surgeons renew the integrity of the digestive system by connecting parts via so-called anastomosis (artificial connections between organs). In the end, doctors stitched the wounds and put a sterile dressing on top. In most cases, open stomach surgery takes up to six hours, and patients might require to stay in the hospital for up to two weeks after the operation. This is necessary to ensure that treatment goes great and helps to prevent any possible complications.