If stomach cancer spreads

Last medical review:

Cancer cells can spread from the stomach to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care. If stomach cancer spreads, it can spread to the:

  • lymph nodes around the stomach or in other places in the abdomen
  • spleen
  • pancreas
  • small intestine
  • colon
  • liver
  • lung
  • esophagus
  • kidney
  • adrenal gland
  • diaphragm
  • wall of the abdomen
  • back of the abdomen (retroperitoneum)
  • peritoneal cavity
  • omentum
  • brain

Expert review and references

  • Ashley Stueck, MD, FRCPC
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) . Cancer.Net: Stomach Cancer. 2020: https://www.cancer.net/.
  • Avital I, Nissan A, Golan T, Lawrence YL, Stojadinovic A. Cancer of the stomach. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2018: 53:762–796.
  • National Comprehensive Cancer Network . NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Gastric Cancer (Version 1.2019). https://www.nccn.org/home.
  • National Cancer Institute. Gastric Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version. National Institutes of Health; 2018: https://www.cancer.gov/.