Partial stomach removal (partial gastrectomy)

What is a partial gastrectomy?

A partial gastrectomy is an operation to remove part of the stomach, leaving a smaller stomach behind. It is also called a subtotal gastrectomy. It is most often done to treat cancer in the lower part of the stomach, and sometimes for other problems such as a non-cancerous tumour or, rarely, a severe ulcer.

The surgeon removes the affected portion (often up to around two thirds of the stomach) along with nearby lymph nodes in cancer surgery, then reconnects the remaining stomach to the small bowel so food can pass through. The top part of the stomach, where the oesophagus enters, is usually preserved.

It is major surgery with a long recovery and lasting changes to how you eat, though often fewer than after removal of the whole stomach. For cancer that has not spread, it can offer the best chance of long-term control, but it does not on its own guarantee a cure and is usually combined with chemotherapy and specialist follow-up.

Whether a partial rather than total gastrectomy is right depends mainly on where the cancer is and its stage, decided by a multidisciplinary team.

Types & techniques

There isn't one single operation. The right approach depends on you — which is something to discuss with your surgeon.

Partial versus total gastrectomy

Which operation is right depends mainly on where the cancer is and its stage, not on patient preference alone. Your surgeon will explain the plan for you.

Preparing for your surgery

• You will have staging scans (such as CT, sometimes PET-CT) and, for potentially curable gastric cancer, often a staging laparoscopy; a multidisciplinary team (MDT) agrees the plan.
• Many people have chemotherapy before and after surgery; ask how this fits with the timing of your operation.
• You will usually have fitness checks because this is demanding surgery.
• Stop smoking as early as possible and ask about prehabilitation: improving nutrition, activity and breathing before surgery can help recovery.
• Tell the team about all your medicines, especially blood thinners, and about diabetes, alcohol use and other conditions.
• Plan for a long recovery, help at home, and support with eating little and often afterwards.
• Ask whether you are likely to need vitamin B12 or other supplements after surgery.

What happens

A partial gastrectomy is done under general anaesthetic and can take roughly 3 to 8 hours depending on the approach. The surgeon makes either larger cuts (open surgery) or several small cuts (keyhole or robot-assisted surgery) in the tummy.

The affected part of the stomach is removed, and in cancer surgery the nearby lymph nodes are removed too. The remaining stomach is then joined to the small bowel so food can pass through.

Afterwards you are likely to have drips, drains and sometimes a tube through the nose or a feeding tube into the bowel while you heal. Nurses and physiotherapists help you start moving and doing breathing exercises early to reduce the risk of chest complications.

Most people stay in hospital for around 10 days to 2 weeks, though this varies and complications can lengthen the stay.

Is this operation right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Anaesthetic choices

The safest option depends on the operation, your health, the facility and your surgeon/anaesthetist. Ask what is planned and why.

UK patient information notes that up to around half of people having stomach removal surgery develop some complication, which can lengthen the hospital stay; most are managed and many are minor, but some are serious. Results tend to be better in high-volume specialist centres, so ask how many of these operations the unit does, what their complication and survival figures are, and how problems would be handled. Your own risk depends on your fitness, nutrition and the stage of the cancer.

Published figures to discuss

Risk and outcome figures vary a great deal with the stage of the cancer, your fitness, the extent of surgery and how many of these operations the centre performs. UK audit data show outcomes have improved over time and tend to be better in higher-volume specialist units. The figures below are cautious indicators from UK patient information, not personal predictions.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

Recovery — what to expect, and when

Recovery from a partial gastrectomy is gradual. Most people stay in hospital for around 10 days to 2 weeks, and UK guidance suggests it usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to get back to usual activities, but up to a year to recover fully.

• Eating much smaller amounts and feeling full quickly.
• Weight loss in the early weeks before things stabilise.
• Dumping symptoms such as feeling faint, sweaty or having loose stools after meals.
• Tiredness that can last weeks to months.
• Reflux of acid or bile, which may improve with advice and medication.

Aftercare

• Follow the dietitian's plan: eat little and often (for example around six small meals a day), chew well and avoid large drinks with meals.
• Take any prescribed supplements, including vitamin B12 if advised.
• Sit upright after eating and avoid lying down straight away to reduce reflux.
• Build up activity gradually, walk daily and avoid heavy lifting for at least 6 weeks.
• Watch your weight and report ongoing loss, difficulty swallowing or persistent vomiting.
• Manage dumping symptoms with smaller meals and by separating food and drink as advised.
• Keep all follow-up appointments and know who to contact with problems.

• Dietitian contact and an eating plan for after discharge.
• Any supplements arranged if needed.
• Someone to help at home for the first few weeks.
• A way to weigh yourself and record changes.
• Pain relief and any acid-reducing medicines collected.
• Specialist nurse or unit contact number for problems.
• Follow-up and results appointments noted.

Scars and how they heal

You will have surgical scars whose number and position depend on the approach: open surgery leaves one or more larger scars on the tummy, while keyhole or robotic surgery leaves several smaller scars. Scars are firm and pink at first and usually fade over months.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Fever, increasing tummy pain or feeling very unwell, which can signal infection or a leak.
• Breathlessness or chest pain, which need urgent assessment.
• A hot, swollen, painful calf or sudden breathlessness, which can mean a blood clot.
• Vomiting blood or passing black, tarry stools.
• Persistent vomiting or being unable to keep fluids down.
• Wound redness, swelling or discharge.
• Dizziness or fainting, rapid weight loss or signs of dehydration.

Who to contact: your surgeon or clinic first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your surgeon gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A good result means the cancer-bearing part of the stomach and the nearby lymph nodes have been removed, ideally with clear margins (no cancer at the cut edges), and that you recover well enough to eat and regain strength.

The removed tissue is examined to give the pathological stage, which is usually more accurate than scans alone. This guides whether further treatment is advised and informs your outlook. Surgery cannot guarantee that cancer will not return, which is why ongoing follow-up matters.

How durable the result is depends on the type and stage of the cancer, whether the margins were clear, how many lymph nodes were involved and any further treatment. Even after a successful operation, cancer can sometimes return, so people are followed up over years. Eating changes are usually permanent but are often less marked than after removal of the whole stomach, and most people adapt over time.

Combining with other procedures

A partial gastrectomy for cancer is usually combined with chemotherapy before and after surgery, staging investigations such as a staging laparoscopy, and dietitian support. Some cancers also involve targeted or other treatments. Decisions are made by a multidisciplinary team rather than a single doctor.

Follow-up & long-term care

After surgery you will be reviewed to check healing and eating, discuss the pathology results and plan any further treatment. Follow-up for cancer typically continues at regular intervals over several years to look for signs of recurrence and to support nutrition, including monitoring for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

• Attention to eating little and often, with dietitian input as needed.
• Monitoring and treatment of vitamin or mineral deficiencies (such as vitamin B12 or iron) if they develop.
• Regular cancer follow-up appointments and scans as advised.
• Possible long-term medication for reflux or dumping symptoms.

Revision and secondary surgery reality

• Some people need a further procedure for a complication, such as draining a leak or returning to theatre.
• The join can narrow later and may need stretching at endoscopy.
• Further cancer treatment may be advised after surgery depending on the pathology results.
• Eating, weight and supplement needs may require ongoing dietitian and medical review.

Ask your surgeon for their own revision rate, what counts as a revision, and what is included in the written aftercare policy.

What good aftercare looks like

• A named specialist nurse and a clear contact route for problems after discharge.
• Structured dietitian support to build up eating, manage dumping and protect weight.
• A clear plan for monitoring vitamins and minerals where needed.
• A clear plan for results, further treatment and long-term cancer follow-up.
• Quick access back to the surgical team if a complication is suspected.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• The surgeon's and assisting team's fees.
• Anaesthetic and any high-dependency or intensive care.
• Theatre time and the length of the hospital stay, which is usually long.
• Whether open, keyhole or robot-assisted techniques are used.
• Investigations and staging, and any chemotherapy in the wider plan.
• Dietitian, specialist nurse and follow-up care.
• The cost of managing any complications, which can extend the stay.

• The surgeon's fee and the fees of the wider surgical team.
• Anaesthetic fees and the cost of any high-dependency or intensive care.
• The hospital/theatre fee and an estimate for the length of stay.
• Whether staging investigations and any chemotherapy are included or separate.
• Dietitian, specialist nurse and follow-up appointments.
• What happens, and who pays, if a complication needs extra treatment or a longer stay.
• How further treatment is arranged once pathology results are known.

On the NHS? Partial gastrectomy for cancer is normally provided on the NHS through a specialist oesophago-gastric team when treatment aims to cure; private care may be used for speed of assessment, choice of consultant or a second opinion.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a surgeon safely

• Check your surgeon is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they practise at a CQC-registered location, and look for membership of bodies like BAAPS or BAPRAS.
• You're entitled to a two-stage consent process with time to reflect (a cooling-off period). The surgeon who will operate must consent you — not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers, discounts or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good surgeon will welcome every one of these.

• Why is a partial rather than total gastrectomy right for me?
• How many of these operations do you and this unit do each year, and what are your results?
• What does my staging show, and is the aim to cure or to control the cancer?
• What further treatment, such as chemotherapy, is planned before or after surgery?
• What are my personal risks given my fitness and other conditions?
• How will my eating change, and what supplements might I need afterwards?
• What follow-up will I have, and what happens if the cancer comes back?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the surgeon who carries out my operation, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this operation not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified surgeon for partial stomach removal (partial gastrectomy)

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How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Gastrectomy NHS — Gastrectomy: how it's done NHS — Recovering from a gastrectomy NHS — Gastrectomy complications Cancer Research UK — Types of surgery for stomach cancer NICE NG83 — Oesophago-gastric cancer: assessment and management NOGCA 2012–2020 analysis of oesophago-gastric cancer surgery outcomes — BJS Anastomotic leakage after gastrectomy in 3,926 patients — Frontiers in Oncology

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.