If stomach cancer spreads

Last medical review: November 2019

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

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/.