The stomach is one part of the digestive tract that digests food and moves nutrients through the gut to the small intestine. Since this type of cancer is typically slow-growing, it can take years to develop.
Stomach cancer is a slow-growing cancer that usually develops over a year or longer. Generally, there are no symptoms in the early stages (asymptomatic). As the disease progresses, a variety of symptoms can develop.
About 95% of the time, stomach cancer starts in your stomach lining and progresses slowly. Untreated, it can form a mass (tumor) and grow deeper into your stomach walls. The tumor may spread to nearby organs like your liver and pancreas.
Stomach cancer that has spread to distant areas can present a variety of symptoms. These include stomach pain, bloody stool, nausea, abdominal bloating and trouble swallowing. Additional symptoms related to where the cancer has spread are also possible.
Around 35 out of 100 people (around 35%) with stage 2 stomach cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed. Around 25 out of 100 people (around 25%) with stage 3 stomach cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
Yes, stomach cancer can go undetected for years because there are no warning signs in the early stages. However, while early signs of stomach cancer are often vague, recognizing them will increase the likelihood of discovering the disease sooner.
Stomach cancer can present itself in several different ways, such as difficulty swallowing, feeling bloated after eating, feeling full after only eating a small amount of food, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, stomach pain, unintentional weight loss, and vomiting.
Abnormal cells are found in the mucosa (innermost layer) of the stomach wall. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue.
The average age of people when they are diagnosed is 68. About 6 of every 10 people diagnosed with stomach cancer each year are 65 or older. The lifetime risk of developing stomach cancer is higher in men (about 1 in 96) than in women (about 1 in 152). But each person's risk can be affected by many other factors.
This aggressive cancer grows rapidly in the cells of the stomach wall. It doesn't form a mass or a tumor, so it can be challenging to diagnose. It tends to start in younger people with a family history of the disease or a related genetic syndrome.
If the cancer is diagnosed and treated before it has spread outside the stomach, the 5-year survival rate is 70%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 32%.
In pathological staging, stage 1 stomach cancer means the cancer has grown into the inner, supportive or muscle layer of the stomach. It might have spread to 1 or 2 nearby lymph nodes. But it hasn't spread to distant organs. It's split into 2 groups - stage 1A and stage 1B.
The doctor might order a blood test to look for anemia (a low red blood cell count), which could be caused by the cancer bleeding into the stomach. A test might also be done to look for blood in your stool (feces) that can't be seen by the naked eye, which could also be a sign of bleeding in the stomach.
Early-stage stomach cancer can be a silent threat, often causing few or no symptoms until the disease has grown into advanced stages and is more difficult to treat. However, doctors are diagnosing (and treating) stomach cancer earlier and more often than ever, thanks in large part to advanced endoscopic tools.
For example, a diet high in smoked or salted foods and processed meat and low in vegetables is a risk factor for stomach cancer, as is drinking alcohol and smoking. Helicobacter pylori, a microorganism that infects the inner lining of stomach, also contributes to cancer development.
If the cancer has spread to the outer stomach wall with or without having spread to the lymph nodes, surgery plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be used (see below).
Stage II gastric cancer is divided into stages IIA and IIB. In stage IIA, cancer (1) may have spread to the submucosa (layer of tissue next to the mucosa) of the stomach wall. Cancer has spread to 3 to 6 nearby lymph nodes; or (2) has spread to the muscle layer of the stomach wall.
Worsening weakness and exhaustion. A need to sleep much of the time, often spending most of the day in bed or resting. Weight loss and muscle thinning or loss. Minimal or no appetite and difficulty eating or swallowing fluids.
The symptoms of stomach cancer are similar to the symptoms of a hiatal hernia or peptic ulcer, namely a vague pain aggravated by food, nausea, heartburn and indigestion.
Stomach pain: Abdominal discomfort or pain in the abdomen above the navel may be a symptom of a stomach tumor. Also, swelling or fluid build-up in the abdomen may also be caused by stomach cancer.
Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) starts in the stomach. It starts when cells in the stomach grow out of control and crowd out normal cells. This makes it hard for the body to work the way it should. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body.
Overall, more than 1 in 7 people diagnosed with stomach cancer today are predicted to survive their disease for at least ten years.
Stomach cancer also spreads faster than colon cancer and it is no less serious than any of the other forms of cancer.