Stomach Cancer

Stomach Cancer is a common type of cancer worldwide. However, in the United States it is less common than several other countries. Some countries have very high rates, such as Japan, Chile and Iceland. There are multiple types of these cancers but all originate in the stomach, the sac-like organ in the upper abdomen which is part of the digestive system.

Because it is a large organ with a great deal of space within it, symptoms often do not occur early and these types of cancers can grow considerably before coming to medical attention. Therefore, diagnosis of these malignant tumors is often delayed, contributing to the poor outcome which can occur with this cancer. However, the outcome of treatment depends greatly on type, the stage of cancer at diagnosis and other factors.

While there is no single known cause of this form of cancer, there are several risk factors which have been associated with it, including family history, infection, smoking, stomach polyps and others.

Below are several topics related to cancers of the stomach, also termed gastric cancer.

Stomach Cancer Topics

What Is It? What is the stomach? How does cancer involve the stomach? Learn more about what this type of cancer is here.

What Causes It? Although no one cause is present for all cancers, there are a handful of known causes and risk factors for cancer of the stomach. Read more about them here.

Are There Different Types? There is more than one type of cancer affecting the stomach. Learn more about the cancer types here.

What Are The Symptoms? While many cancers of the stomach do not have symptoms early on, most will eventually present with symptoms as they progress. Learn more about the possible symptoms here.

How Do You Make the Diagnosis? When a patient presents with symptoms or there is some other suspicion, various exams and tests can be performed to make the diagnosis of a stomach tumor.

Types of Treatment: What are the treatment options for patients with cancer of the stomach? Read more about them here.