Cancer Type

Stomach Cancer (Gastric Cancer)

Stomach cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that begins in the stomach. The stomach is a muscular sac located in the upper middle of your abdomen, just below your ribs. Your stomach receives and holds the food you eat and then helps to break down and digest it.

Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, can affect any part of the stomach. In most of the world, stomach cancers form in the main part of the stomach (stomach body).

Who gets stomach cancer?

Men are twice as likely to get stomach cancer as women. The disease occurs most often in people over the age of 55. People with Type A blood are also at higher risk of stomach cancer.

The disease is also more common in some parts of the world, including Japan, Korea, parts of Eastern Europe and Latin America And Asian countries. People in these areas eat many foods that are preserved by drying, smoking, oily food, salting or pickling, placing the individuals at increased risk of stomach cancer.

Risk Factor.

Factors that increase the risk of stomach cancer include:

• Gastro esophageal reflux disease
• Obesity
• A diet high in salty and smoked foods
• A diet low in fruits and vegetables
• Family history of stomach cancer
• Infection with Helicobacter pylori
• Long-term stomach inflammation (gastritis)
• Smoking
• Stomach polyps

Symptoms.

Signs and symptoms of stomach cancer may include:

• Difficulty swallowing
• Feeling bloated after eating
• Feeling full after eating small amounts of food
• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Nausea

• Diagnosis.

  The following diagnostic tools and techniques may be used to reach a stomach cancer diagnosis:

  • Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), also called an upper endoscopy, which uses an endoscope to examine the esophagus, stomach and duodenum
  • Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
  • Biopsy