Stomach cancer are easily ignored as simple discomfort, which is why stomach cancer often progresses quite far before being detected.
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is the accumulation of an abnormal (malignant, cancerous) group of cells that form a tumor in any part of the stomach. Stomach cancer begins when cancer cells form in the inner lining of your stomach. These cells can grow into a tumor. Also called gastric cancer, the disease usually grows slowly over many years. If you know the symptoms it causes, you and your doctor may be able to spot it early, when it’s easiest to treat.
Stomach Cancer
What is stomach cancer?
Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to other areas of the body. To learn more about how cancers start and sprea. Stomach cancer treatment, also called gastric cancer, is a cancer that starts in the stomach. To understand stomach cancer, it helps to know about the normal structure and function of the stomach.
Types of stomach cancer
- Adenocarcinoma
- Lymphoma
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)
- Carcinoid tumor
- Other cancers
Causes of Stomach Cancer
Your stomach (along with the esophagus) is just one part of the upper section of your digestive tract. Your stomach is responsible for digesting food and then moving the nutrients along to the rest of your digestive organs, namely the small and large intestines. Stomach cancer occurs when normally healthy cells within the upper digestive system become cancerous and grow out of control, forming a tumor. This process happens slowly, so stomach cancer tends to develop over many years.
Symptoms of Stomach Cancer
Many symptoms of stomach cancer are similar to less serious conditions, so it can be difficult to recognise in the early stages.
- Persistent indigestion
- trapped wind and frequent burping
- heartburn
- feeling full very quickly when eating
- feeling bloated after eating
- feeling sick
- pain in your stomach or breastbone
- difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- vomiting (the vomit may be streaked with blood), although this is uncommon in the early stages
Treatments of Stomach Cancer
The type of treatment for stomach cancer the doctor may recommend depends on several factors, including the stage of the cancer, the grade of the cancer, and the patient’s overall health and preferences. Treatments may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, medications and taking part in clinical trials.
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy (radiotherapy)
- Neoadjuvant radiation
- Adjuvant radiation
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted medications
- Clinical trials
- Herceptin (trastuzumab)