Surgery is usually the primary treatment for stomach cancer.

Where is the tumor?  What type?

Hello Kenny, Welcome to alt.support.cancer
I'm sorry to hear about your stomach cancer.
I checked several web sites in various countries which essentially say
"The only way to cure stomach cancer is to find it early and remove the
tumour with surgery. If it has not spread outside the stomach, then an
operation to remove either the whole stomach or just the affected part of it
may be done.
In advanced cases, surgery will not cure the cancer but may be needed to
treat symptoms such as vomiting, pain or bleeding.

Chemotherapy may be used after surgery to try to reduce the chances of the
cancer coming back. The additional treatment is known as adjuvant
chemotherapy. Radiotherapy is not usually used to try and cure stomach
cancer, but is sometimes used to relieve symptoms if cancer has spread
outside the stomach." from
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/stomach_cancer.html

So, I'm assuming (and that's perhaps not always adviseable to do) that your
cancer is curable by surgery and that's why it was suggested that you see a
surgeon first. It would seem that they may take out some lymph nodes during
surgery and send them to pathology to be checked.

So I will post the other web sites. Some explain the various surgeries, some
have "Questions to ask" of the surgeon.
Most explain the various stages and types of stomach cancer.

I know in the US (unlike Canada), you may have choices about which surgeon.
I suppose it's reasonable to get 2 opinions, but please don't delay any
longer than you have to, if you do choose to get two surgical opinions.  The
information on the web sites that I post (if you make notes or print some
sections of them), may help you decipher which surgeon seems to be most
knowledgeable and experienced and confers confidence in you.

There are other stomach cancer patients at http://www.acor.org/ Mail Lists
under "S". I sometimes have trepidation sending people there because some of
them may have had surgery years ago and some may have "scare stories" which
might tend to make you nervous about surgery. But speaking as someone who
has pain when eating, I'd go for surgery first.

I'm not an expert, so FWIW
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3917
http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/gastric/healthprofessional/
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20040301/1133.html

Please stay with us. If I or Steph or others can be of further assist, we
will try.
Best wishes,keep in touch,
J

Not really.   The mainstay of treatment of stomach cancer is surgery, and
the surgeon would usually engage other kinds of cancer specialists if and
when it was felt necessary.  If you wanted other opinions after seeing the
surgeon you are entitled to seek them.

Peter Moran

The primary treatment for stomach cancer is surgery, so you should see a
surgeon first

Thank you all. There is a second opinion with another surgeon at North
Shore on Long Island.
I just thought that there would be an effort to stop even shrink the
progress growth that the tumor has made by an Oncologist before a
surgeon would operate a 76 years young patient.
The tumor is in the upper part near esophagus that is most likely the
cause of pain while eating.
Thanks again. I may not get a chance to answer future replies right
away.
Ken.