Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs, particularly the esophagus, small intestine. It also may extend through the stomach wall and spread to nearby lymph nodes and to organs such as the liver, pancreas, and colon.
Stomach cancer also may spread to distant organs, such as the lungs, the lymph nodes above the collar bone, and the ovaries. Metastasis to the ovary is called a Krukenberg tumor.
Epidemiology
Stomach cancer represents roughly 2% (21,500) cases of all new cancer cases yearly in the United States, but it is much more common in Japan, Great Britain, South America, and Iceland, possibly due to increased dietary consumption of nitrates. It is also associated with high salt in the diet, smoking, and low intake of fruits and vegetables. Infection with H. pylori is the main risk factor in about 80% or more of gastric cancers. It is more common in men.
A very small percentage of diffuse-type gastric cancers (see Histopathology below) are thought be genetic. Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC) has only recently been identified and research is ongoing, but genetic testing and treatment options are available for families at risk (Brooks-Wilson et al., 2004). |
Diagram of the stomach
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Metastasis occurs in 80-90% of individuals with stomach cancer, with a five year survival rate of 75% in those diagnosed in early stages and less than 30% of those diagnosed in late stages. The death rate is 12,400 a year in the United States .
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