Support for Stomach Cancer

NYU Langone doctors provide ongoing treatment for people with stomach cancer to help prevent the cancer from spreading or recurring. They offer additional support services through Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Because early stomach cancer has few symptoms, the condition is usually advanced when it is diagnosed. For some people with stomach cancer, treatment with surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or radiation therapy—or a combination of the four—may destroy the cancer. In others, stomach cancer may remain.

Follow-Up Care

After you’re treated for stomach cancer, NYU Langone doctors monitor you closely during regular follow-up visits. Most people visit their care team every three to six months during the first two years after treatment, then at least yearly thereafter.

At these appointments, doctors ask questions about any symptoms you may be having and may perform a physical exam or laboratory or imaging tests to look for signs of cancer or treatment side effects.

Psychological and Social Support

Specialists at Perlmutter Cancer Center offer support groups and one-on-one counseling sessions with a psycho-oncologist, a healthcare provider trained to address the psychological needs of people with cancer. Counseling can help alleviate any anxiety or depression you may have during treatment. Social workers are also available to help you address financial matters that may arise during treatment.

Nutrition and Exercise

Our doctors encourage healthful eating as a part of stomach cancer follow-up care. Registered oncology dietitians at Perlmutter Cancer Center can provide nutritional education and counseling.

People who’ve had surgery to treat stomach cancer often need to adjust their diet and take dietary supplements to maintain proper nutrition. NYU Langone doctors and nutritionists can help you develop an appropriate nutrition plan after surgery.

If the upper part of the stomach has been removed, your doctor may recommend regular injections of vitamin B12. The pill form of B12 isn’t absorbed when the upper part of the stomach is removed.

Physical Therapy

Our physical therapists provide a rehabilitation program involving strength training and aerobic exercise to address weakness and fatigue associated with stomach cancer or its treatment. Exercise can help improve balance, flexibility, and mobility.

Treatment for Neuropathy

The chemotherapy drugs used to treat stomach cancer may cause neuropathy, or nerve damage. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the hands, feet, arms, legs, or other parts of the body.

Doctors at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation may prescribe medication to ease discomfort, and physical therapists can help prevent neuropathy from interfering with your balance and strength. They also help you maintain your ability to walk and perform daily activities.