Skip to content

Is your insurance policy changing in 2026? Let us know here.

Stomach Cancer Staging

Request An Appointment
Stomach Cancer banner

Stomach cancer is typically staged from Stage 0 (cancer confined to the inner lining of the stomach) to Stage IV (cancer that has spread to distant areas of the body). Additional imaging and diagnostic tests may be performed to gather this information.

Staging describes how far stomach cancer has spread at the time of diagnosis. It helps your care team determine the most appropriate treatment approach.

Stomach cancer is staged using the TNM system:

  • T (Tumor): How deeply the tumor has grown into the stomach wall
  • N (Nodes): Whether cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes
  • M (Metastasis): Whether cancer has spread to distant organs

Stages of Stomach Cancer

In Stage 0, abnormal cancer cells are found only in the innermost lining of the stomach (the mucosa). The cancer has not grown into deeper layers, lymph nodes, or distant organs. This is the earliest stage of stomach cancer.

Stage IA

The cancer has grown into the inner layers of the stomach wall (the mucosa or submucosa) but has not spread to lymph nodes or distant organs.

Stage IB

The cancer has either:

  • Grown into the submucosa and spread to 1–2 nearby lymph nodes, or
  • Grown deeper into the muscular layer of the stomach wall, but has not spread to the lymph nodes.

Stage IIA

Cancer may have:

  • Grown into deeper layers of the stomach wall and spread to 1–2 nearby lymph nodes, or
  • Grown into the muscular layer and spread to 3–6 nearby lymph nodes, or
  • Grown through the muscle layer into the outer layers of the stomach without lymph node involvement.

Stage IIB

Cancer may have:

  • Grown into the outer layers of the stomach and spread to 1–2 nearby lymph nodes, or
  • Grown into the muscular layer and spread to 7–15 nearby lymph nodes, or
  • Grown through the stomach wall without spreading to distant organs but involving several nearby lymph nodes.

Stage IIIA

Cancer has grown through deeper layers of the stomach wall and spread to multiple nearby lymph nodes, but has not spread to distant organs.

Stage IIIB

The tumor has grown through most or all layers of the stomach wall and has spread to a greater number of regional lymph nodes and possibly nearby structures.

Stage IIIC

Cancer has spread extensively to many nearby lymph nodes and may involve adjacent organs or structures, but has not spread to distant parts of the body.

Cancer has spread to distant organs, such as the liver, lungs, or distant lymph nodes.

Surgical Options by Stage

Along with your formal stage, your doctor may describe your stomach cancer in a broader group to guide the overall treatment strategy.

  • Very early-stage cancers have not spread beyond the stomach’s inner lining and can be resected.
  • Potentially resectable cancers have grown into the stomach wall and may involve nearby areas or lymph nodes. Surgery to remove all visible cancer may be possible.
  • Unresectable local or regional cancers have grown into the stomach wall and may involve nearby lymph nodes or tissue. Complete surgical removal is unlikely even though the cancer has not spread to distant organs.
  • Metastatic cancers have spread to distant locations in the body. Curative surgery is not usually part of the treatment process unless it can be performed to relieve pain caused by cancer growth in another area of the body.

What’s Next?

Once the team has established the stage and whether surgery is part of the treatment plan, the RMCC multidisciplinary oncology team will develop a personalized treatment plan for each patient.

Meet Our Stomach Cancer Doctors

Our comprehensive approach to stomach cancer care combines the most advanced treatments with education, support services, and complementary therapies.
Find a Specialist