My 87 yr old dad was diagnosed w/ adenocarcinoma of the stomach in the cardia area. gi & pc dr's say there's nothing to be done b/c of his age. true?

Ask the operator: Neither your father's gastroenterologist nor primary care doctor should make the decision of whether or not he needs an operation. Neither of them will be involved in performing this operation. That should be done by a surgeon, preferably an experienced one, in consultation with your father.

Likely true: The recommendation is based on the ability to tolerate surgery, radiation, chemotherapy (which all or some may or may not be considered for this type of cancer depending on the situation and extent (i.e. Staging). If statistics show that chemotherapy or surgery for example causes more complications or harm in his age group (or likely his overall health) then best recommendation is symptom control.