All of the following statements about surgical management of gastric lymphomas are true except:

D. Without a preoperative diagnosis resection for gastric mass should not be attempted unless lymphoma can be excluded

DISCUSSION: Operation alone is adequate treatment for very early-stage lymphoma, although chemotherapy is commonly added. For more advanced disease, particularly stages III and IV, preoperative radiation chemotherapy is often indicated, even though some of these patients suffer perforation during therapy and require emergent resection. Patients who undergo exploration for gastric mass without a preoperative diagnosis can safely be resected with potential for cure even if the diagnosis includes gastric lymphoma.