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Tissue Procurement for Gastric Cancer, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST), Esophageal Cancer, Pancreas Cancer, Hepatocellular Cancer, Biliary Cancer, Neuroendocrine, Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Anal Cancer and Colorectal Cancer in Patients Undergoing Surgery or Biopsy
What is stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, usually starts in the cells lining the stomach and grows slowly over years. Long term infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria is the leading known risk factor; smoking, a diet high in salted and smoked foods, family history, and inherited syndromes add to it. Early symptoms are vague, indigestion, feeling full quickly, mild pain, so many cases are found late. Five year relative survival is about 38 percent overall in US data, rising to about 76 percent when the cancer is found while still localized. Treatment combines surgery and chemotherapy for operable disease, and chemotherapy with immunotherapy or targeted drugs for advanced disease, guided by tumor tests for HER2, PD-L1, mismatch repair, and claudin 18.2. Cancers where the esophagus meets the stomach are often studied together with esophageal cancer; see our esophageal cancer clinical trials page.
Types of stomach cancer clinical trials
Advanced disease trials. Immunotherapy added to chemotherapy, targeted drugs for HER2 and claudin 18.2, and new antibody drug conjugates.
Peritoneal spread trials. Chemotherapy delivered directly into the abdomen for cancer that has spread to its lining.
Surgery and perioperative trials. Chemotherapy and immunotherapy before and after surgery, and radiation in selected cases.
Radioligand and cell therapy trials. Targeted radioactive drugs and CAR T cells in early phase studies.
Prevention and early detection. H. pylori treatment and screening studies in higher risk groups.
Risk overlaps with esophageal and colorectal cancer.
New to research? Read how clinical trials for cancer work.
Who can participate in stomach cancer clinical trials?
Most treatment trials enroll adults with stomach or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma at a specific stage, often requiring tumor test results such as HER2, PD-L1, or claudin 18.2, and a set number of prior treatments for advanced disease. Peritoneal trials require spread to the abdominal lining. Adequate nutrition and organ function are common requirements. Eligibility always varies by study.
Is stomach cancer curable?
Often when found early: five year relative survival is about 76 percent for localized disease. Most US cases are found later, and advanced disease is treated to extend life, which is where most new drug trials focus.
Stages of stomach cancer, and why they matter for trials
Localized (stage I). Confined to the stomach wall; surgery, sometimes endoscopic removal; five year survival about 76 percent.
Locally advanced (II to III). Deeper growth or lymph node spread; chemotherapy around surgery, and trials of adding immunotherapy.
Metastatic (IV). Spread to the liver, peritoneum, or other organs; most drug trials recruit here, sorted by tumor markers.
How to enroll in a stomach cancer clinical trial
Identify your trial. Use the filters and match the stage or type and the treatment history named in study titles to your own.
Select your preferred location. Enter your city or state; large trials run at many sites, early phase studies at fewer centers.
Explore study details. Click "Learn More" for eligibility, prior treatment rules, and the visit schedule.
Complete the health profile. Click "Get started" to begin the 5-step application. Have three things ready: your stage and tumor marker results (HER2, PD-L1, claudin 18.2), the treatments you have had, and any nutrition or weight problems.
Submit the application. A clinical trial coordinator reviews it and contacts you. Nothing is decided until informed consent, and participation is voluntary at every step.