When stomach cancer is diagnosed early, surgery can often cure the disease. For patients whose cancer has spread through the stomach wall, surgeons must sometimes remove the entire organ, a procedure known as a total gastrectomy. Traditionally, this leaves patients with a very small stomach capacity, forcing them to eat tiny, frequent meals.
New reconstruction offers a larger reservoir
Dr. Travis Grotz, a surgical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains that Mayo Clinic surgeons now routinely create a jejunal J‑pouch – a new stomach‑like pouch fashioned from a segment of the small intestine (the jejunum). By folding the jejunum into a “J” shape and connecting it to the esophagus, the surgeon creates a larger storage reservoir, allowing patients to consume larger meals and enjoy more normal eating function during recovery.
Preserving part of the stomach when possible
The clinic is also studying techniques to preserve the lower portion of the stomach in cases where the tumor is located in the upper stomach near the esophagus. While preserving the upper stomach is more common, Mayo surgeons have adapted methods to remove the cancer while saving the bottom part of the organ, offering additional options for patients.
These surgical innovations aim to improve quality of life for stomach‑cancer patients by maintaining nutritional intake and reducing the burden of constant, tiny meals. The procedures are technically demanding, but Mayo Clinic’s experience with the J‑pouch in colorectal surgery has helped translate the technique to gastric cancer care.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
