CION Ameerpet
Stomach cancer — also called gastric cancer — is one of the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal cancers in India, with a significantly higher incidence in South India including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. At CION Cancer Clinics, our surgical and medical oncology team delivers the full spectrum of stomach cancer treatment — from endoscopic resection for early-stage disease and complex D2 gastrectomy to molecular-targeted therapy and first-line immunotherapy for advanced disease — across 7 Hyderabad locations, backed by NABH accreditation and NCCN protocol-driven care.
The stomach is a muscular organ in the upper abdomen that stores and digests food through gastric acid and enzymes. Stomach cancer develops when cells in the stomach lining acquire mutations and grow uncontrollably. In India, gastric cancer accounts for approximately 34,000 new cases annually, with a striking male-to-female ratio of 2:1. South India — including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — has consistently higher gastric cancer rates than the national average, driven by a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, dietary patterns including salted and pickled foods, and smoking.
Approximately 60–70% of stomach cancer patients in India are diagnosed at Stage III or Stage IV, when the disease has spread beyond the stomach. However, for the 30–40% diagnosed at an earlier, operable stage, modern treatment combining perioperative chemotherapy with surgery can achieve long-term cure or durable remission. Even at advanced stage, targeted therapy and immunotherapy have significantly extended survival compared to chemotherapy alone a decade ago.
Stomach cancer is not one disease. The histological type — adenocarcinoma versus GIST versus lymphoma — determines the entire treatment pathway. CION's tumour board confirms the exact type before any treatment decision.
Arises from the glandular cells lining the stomach. Classified into two distinct subtypes with different behaviour and treatment implications:
GIST is a completely different cancer from adenocarcinoma — it arises from the interstitial cells of Cajal in the stomach wall, not the lining. This distinction is critical because GISTs require an entirely different treatment approach: surgery for localised disease, and imatinib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) — not conventional chemotherapy — for advanced or metastatic GISTs. Standard gastric cancer chemotherapy regimens have no meaningful activity against GIST. CION's tumour board identifies and correctly pathways all GIST diagnoses.
Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of the stomach is a low-grade B-cell lymphoma strongly associated with H. pylori infection. Remarkably, H. pylori eradication alone can induce complete remission in the majority of early-stage MALT lymphomas — making it one of the few cancers curable with antibiotics in early stages. Higher-grade gastric lymphomas are treated with standard lymphoma chemotherapy regimens (R-CHOP).
Gastric neuroendocrine tumours arise from the hormone-producing enterochromaffin-like cells of the stomach. Type I and Type II are low-grade and often managed with endoscopic resection and monitoring. Type III is sporadic, more aggressive, and treated with surgery similar to adenocarcinoma. CION manages gastric NETs through its neuroendocrine tumour pathway.
Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped bacterium that infects the stomach lining, causing chronic inflammation (gastritis). Untreated chronic H. pylori gastritis progresses through a defined sequence — chronic gastritis → atrophic gastritis → intestinal metaplasia → dysplasia → gastric cancer — over years to decades. H. pylori is classified as a Class I carcinogen by the WHO and is responsible for approximately 75–90% of all non-cardia gastric cancers.
In Hyderabad and across Telangana/AP, H. pylori prevalence is estimated at 60–70% — creating a significant population at elevated gastric cancer risk. CION recommends:
If you have been diagnosed with H. pylori infection or have a family member with stomach cancer, speak to a CION oncologist about risk assessment and surveillance.
Beyond H. pylori, several factors increase the risk of developing stomach cancer. Discuss your personal risk profile with a CION specialist if more than one applies to you.
Stomach cancer is often called a 'silent' cancer — early-stage disease produces few or no symptoms, and the symptoms that do occur mimic common conditions like acid reflux, indigestion, or gastritis. This is why most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Persistent symptoms beyond 2–4 weeks should prompt endoscopic evaluation, especially in patients over 40 or with risk factors.
Any adult over 40 with new-onset dyspepsia, or persistent upper GI symptoms that do not resolve with standard treatment, should undergo upper GI endoscopy to exclude gastric cancer. Book a consultation with a stomach cancer specialist at your nearest CION location.
We're never more than 30 minutes away. Same panel of specialists at every centre. Same tumour board reviews. Same NCCN protocols. Pick the closest one and call directly — or let us pick for you.
CION Ameerpet
CION Kukatpally
CION L.B. Nagar
CION Tolichowki
CION Masab Tank
CION Banjara Hills
CION Kompally
CION Balanagar
CION Siddipet
CION Sangareddy
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Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Meet our stomach cancer team across 7 Hyderabad locations. Same-week appointments. EMI options available.
An accurate diagnosis that establishes histological type, stage, and the molecular profile (HER2, PD-L1) is essential before any treatment decision. CION's diagnostic pathway integrates endoscopy, imaging, and molecular testing.
Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is the only reliable method for directly visualising the stomach lining and obtaining tissue for biopsy. A thin flexible scope is passed through the mouth into the stomach while the patient is sedated. Any suspicious lesion is biopsied for histological confirmation. For early-stage lesions, chromoendoscopy and narrow-band imaging (NBI) can improve detection of subtle mucosal abnormalities.
HER2 (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2) overexpression occurs in approximately 15–20% of gastric adenocarcinomas. HER2 testing — by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) — is now recommended for all patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, because HER2-positive status determines eligibility for trastuzumab therapy, which significantly improves survival. CION's pathology workflow includes HER2 testing as a standard part of advanced gastric cancer workup.
PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) testing is performed on tumour tissue to determine eligibility for nivolumab-based immunotherapy. Patients with CPS ≥5 derive the greatest benefit from nivolumab + chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer per the CheckMate-649 trial data.
Stomach cancer is staged using the TNM system. Stage at diagnosis is the primary determinant of treatment approach and outcome.
| Stage | TNM Status | Extent of Disease | 5-Year Survival | Primary Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage I | T1–2, N0–1, M0 | Confined to stomach wall ± limited nodal involvement | 60–80% | ESD (T1a) or surgery ± adjuvant chemotherapy |
| Stage II | T1–3, N1–2, M0 | Deeper wall invasion or more nodal involvement | 40–60% | Perioperative chemotherapy + gastrectomy (D2) |
| Stage III | T2–4, N2–3, M0 | Extensive nodal involvement or adjacent organ invasion | 20–40% | Perioperative chemotherapy + gastrectomy; consider radiation |
| Stage IV | Any T, Any N, M1 | Distant metastases (liver, lungs, peritoneum) | 5–15% | Systemic chemotherapy ± trastuzumab (HER2+) ± nivolumab; palliative care |
5-year survival estimates reflect outcomes in specialist oncology settings. Individual outcomes depend on tumour histology, HER2 status, PD-L1 CPS, and extent of surgical resection.
Surgery remains the only potentially curative treatment for resectable gastric cancer. CION's surgical oncology team, led by Dr. Raghavendra Naik (MCh Surgical Oncology, SVIMS Tirupati), performs gastrectomy with systematic D2 lymphadenectomy — the internationally recommended extent of lymph node dissection for curative gastric cancer surgery.
For patients with Stage II and Stage III resectable gastric cancer, surgery alone is no longer the recommended approach. Perioperative chemotherapy — giving chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the tumour, treat micrometastases, and improve the chance of complete resection, then completing chemotherapy after surgery — is the current NCCN and ESMO standard of care. It has been shown to significantly improve overall survival and R0 resection rates compared to surgery alone.
No hospital treatment page in Hyderabad currently explains this concept. CION's perioperative chemotherapy pathway for resectable Stage II/III gastric cancer:
Confirm resectability with EUS, CT, and staging laparoscopy where indicated; HER2 and PD-L1 testing performed on biopsy tissue.
3 cycles of FLOT (docetaxel + oxaliplatin + leucovorin + 5-fluorouracil) or XELOX (capecitabine + oxaliplatin) before surgery; FLOT is the ESMO preferred regimen based on superior pathological response rates.
CT scan after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to assess tumour response and confirm resectability.
Gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy, targeting R0 resection.
3 further cycles of the same regimen post-surgery to eliminate residual microscopic disease.
If you have been diagnosed with Stage II or Stage III stomach cancer and have only been offered surgery without pre-operative chemotherapy — or if you have not had staging laparoscopy to confirm the absence of peritoneal disease — request a second opinion from CION's tumour board before proceeding.
The appropriate first-line regimen for advanced gastric cancer now depends on the tumour's molecular profile — specifically HER2 status and PD-L1 CPS — making molecular testing at diagnosis essential. These protocols are entirely absent from most competitor hospital pages in Hyderabad.
For patients whose tumours overexpress HER2, trastuzumab (Herceptin) combined with platinum-based chemotherapy (cisplatin + capecitabine or 5-fluorouracil) is the NCCN Category 1 first-line treatment for advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer. The landmark ToGA trial demonstrated improved median overall survival of 13.8 months versus 11.1 months with chemotherapy alone. HER2 testing by IHC/FISH is performed before first-line treatment is selected.
For HER2-negative advanced gastric cancer with PD-L1 CPS ≥5, nivolumab (an immune checkpoint inhibitor) with platinum-based chemotherapy is NCCN Category 1 first-line treatment. The CheckMate-649 trial demonstrated improved median overall survival of 14.4 months versus 11.1 months with chemotherapy alone in the CPS ≥5 population. CION performs PD-L1 CPS testing on all advanced gastric cancer biopsies.
Ramucirumab (anti-VEGFR2) ± paclitaxel — NCCN second-line treatment; restricts tumour angiogenesis. Irinotecan monotherapy — alternative second-line option. Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) — for HER2-positive disease that progressed after first-line trastuzumab. Pembrolizumab — for MSI-H/dMMR tumours at any line, and TMB-high tumours.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) require completely different systemic treatment from adenocarcinoma. Surgery is the definitive treatment for resectable GISTs. For unresectable or metastatic GISTs, imatinib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the KIT or PDGFRA mutation driving most GISTs) is the first-line treatment — not conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Sunitinib is used for imatinib-resistant disease; regorafenib as third-line.
CION's radiation oncology team uses advanced, precisely targeted techniques for selected stomach cancer indications:
Total gastrectomy removes the entire stomach, fundamentally changing the way the body digests and absorbs food. Partial gastrectomy has similar but less severe effects. Post-gastrectomy nutritional management is as important as the surgery itself — and is a patient concern no other hospital treatment page in Hyderabad adequately addresses.
CION's integrated care team includes dedicated nutrition counsellors who work with gastrectomy patients from the pre-operative planning stage through the full post-operative recovery period.
Stomach cancer management requires precise coordination between surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, gastroenterology, pathology, and nutrition. At CION, every gastric cancer case is reviewed by our multidisciplinary tumour board before treatment:
Eighteen reasons our patients pick CION — across volume, protocols, surgical expertise, molecular testing, and supportive care.
15,000+ patients treated
7 locations across Hyderabad
NABH Accredited
NCCN & ESMO Protocol Adherence
MCh-trained surgical oncologist
Perioperative chemotherapy pathway
HER2 testing as standard workup
PD-L1 CPS testing & nivolumab immunotherapy
GIST correctly pathwayed with imatinib
MALT lymphoma managed with H. pylori eradication
ESD for early-stage T1a disease
HIPEC coordinated
Post-gastrectomy nutritional rehabilitation
Multidisciplinary tumour board review
Dedicated Second Opinion service
EMI facility
4.8 / 5 Google rating
35+ centres across Telangana & AP
Treatment costs vary significantly by stage and treatment approach. The following ranges are based on current Hyderabad market data:
| Treatment | Approx. Cost (INR) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Endoscopic Resection (ESD/EMR) | ₹50,000 – ₹1,50,000 | For early-stage T1a disease; day procedure |
| Subtotal / Partial Gastrectomy (Laparoscopic) | ₹2,50,000 – ₹5,00,000 | Shorter hospital stay vs open surgery |
| Total Gastrectomy (Open) | ₹3,00,000 – ₹7,00,000 | Complex reconstruction; ICU stay included |
| Chemotherapy (per cycle) | ₹30,000 – ₹1,20,000 | FLOT / XELOX regimens; 6 cycles standard |
| Trastuzumab (per cycle — HER2+) | ₹80,000 – ₹2,00,000 | Combined with platinum chemotherapy; may be covered under insurance |
| Nivolumab + Chemotherapy (per cycle) | ₹1,00,000 – ₹2,50,000 | For PD-L1 CPS ≥5 advanced disease |
| Radiation Therapy (full course) | ₹1,00,000 – ₹2,50,000 | IMRT/IGRT; chemoradiation at higher end |
| Full Multi-modal Treatment | ₹2,50,000 – ₹10,00,000+ | Depending on stage, histology, and treatment duration |
Costs are indicative. A personalised treatment cost estimate is provided following your initial oncology consultation at CION.
CION operates 35+ centres across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Find your nearest stomach cancer specialist or explore care options in your city.
Travelling for treatment? We may have a centre right where you are — across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Not seeing your city? Call 18002028726 — we'll connect you to the nearest CION centre or arrange a teleconsultation.
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Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified oncologist for guidance specific to your medical condition. The information on this page is periodically reviewed and updated by CION's medical team in accordance with current clinical guidelines.