A gastrectomy is performed to remove part or all of the stomach for patients with stomach cancer, gastric ulcers that have not responded to medication, or certain benign tumors.

Determining partial or total gastrectomy

Surgeons at Assuta examine the patient, performing a comprehensive pre-surgical evaluation to assess the patient’s medical condition and tumor characteristics to determine what type of gastrectomy is needed.

About gastrectomies – stomach resection surgeries

Surgery for partial or complete resection of the stomach is performed when the tumor has not spread to other organs.

  • Partial resection of the stomach: This surgery removes part of the stomach, local lymph nodes, and when necessary, other tissues near the tumor.
  • Complete resection of the stomach: Removal of the entire stomach, local lymph nodes, and other tissues near the tumor, as necessary

In some patient cases, primarily with benign and relatively small tumors, surgery can be performed with minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. With larger tumors or other conditions, open surgery is required. The gastrectomy is performed under general anesthesia.

Follow-on treatment

In APR, the surgeon removes the entire rectum and anus, and creates a permanent structure for the body to excrete waste (colostomy). In creating a colostomy, the surgeon channels the end of the large intestine out through the abdominal wall.

Low anterior rectal resection (proctectomy)

During a proctectomy, part or all of the rectum is excised and the anus is preserved. The surgeon connects the colon and the remaining part of the rectum or anus, so that the patient can excrete waste through the anus.

Laparoscopic rectal resection

In rectal resection surgery for cancer, the section of the rectum containing the tumor is removed. The surgeon also removes non-cancerous tissue around the tumor (margins), along with fat tissue that surrounds the rectum and contains lymph nodes. The surgeon connects the tip of the remaining healthy colon to the rest of the rectal stump or anus. The removed section is sent for evaluation to the Pathology Institute.

In some cases, the patient will need a temporary ileostomy, an alternative route for removing feces from the small intestines through the abdominal wall in order to promote proper healing of the surgical site.


Potential procedure complications

As with any surgery, stomach resection to remove cancerous tissue can cause common complications, some of which are severe. Because a section of the stomach is removed, and the stomach or esophagus is connected to the small intestine, a leak can form at the connection site, which can be a problem. Therefore, in most cases, a temporary drain is positioned at the connection site to control and drain a potential leak.

Other complications are typical to all surgeries, including internal bleeding (lymph node resection is performed near large blood vessels in the abdomen), a pulmonary embolism (blockage of an artery in the lungs), and wound complications (such as an infection or wound separation). Patients can also experience problems and difficulty eating after surgery.