Learn about stomach cancer

Article written by Master, Doctor Ha Thi Thu Hien - Pathologist - Laboratory Department - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Stomach cancer begins when cells in the stomach grow out of control. Treatment of stomach cancer with one or more methods, based on test results and the patient's overall health status

Cancer begins when cells in the body grow out of control. Any organ in the body can become cancerous, which can then spread to other areas of the body.
Stomach cancer begins when cells in the stomach grow out of control.
The stomach is a pouch-like organ, an important part of the digestive system. After food is chewed and swallowed, it enters the esophagus, a tube that carries food through the throat and chest to the stomach. The esophagus joins the stomach at the gastroesophageal junction (Zline), just below the diaphragm. The stomach then begins to digest the food by secreting gastric juices. Food and gastric juices are mixed and then poured into the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum.
Stomach cancer is different from other cancers such as colon, liver, pancreatic or small bowel cancer. These cancers can have different symptoms, different looks, and different treatments.
The parts of the stomach
The stomach is divided into 5 parts:
The first 3 parts make up the stomach including:
Cardia: The first part, closest to the esophagus Fundus: The upper part of the stomach next to the body (Corpus): The main part of the stomach, between the upper and lower parts Some of the cells in these parts of the stomach make acid and pepsin (a digestive enzyme), which combines to make gastric juices to help digest food. They also make a protein called intrinsic factor, which the body needs to absorb vitamin B12.
2 The lower part is called the distal part:
Antrum: The lower part (near the small intestine), where food is mixed with gastric juice Pylorus: The last part of the stomach, which acts as a the valve that controls the passage of food from the stomach into the small intestine Other organs near the stomach include the small intestine, colon, liver, spleen, and pancreas.
The stomach wall has 5 layers:
The innermost layer is the mucosal layer. This is where stomach acid and digestive enzymes are produced. Most stomach cancers start in this layer. This is followed by a supportive layer called the submucosa. Outside these two layers is the muscular layer, which is a thick layer of muscle that helps move and mix the contents of the stomach. The two outermost layers are the subserosal and the serosa. These layers are important in determining the stage (level of invasion) of cancer, which can influence treatment options and prognosis. patient.

Stomach cancer tends to grow slowly over many years. Before a cancer actually develops, precancerous changes usually occur in the lining of the stomach. These early changes rarely cause symptoms, so they are often undetectable.
Cancers that start in different parts of the stomach can cause symptoms and tend to have different outcomes. The location of the stomach cancer can also affect the choice of treatment. For example, cancers that begin at the gastroesophageal junction are usually evaluated and treated in the same way as esophageal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma
The cancer that accounts for the majority of stomach cancers (about 90% to 95%). These cancers develop from glandular cells in the lining.
There are 2 main types of gastric adenocarcinoma:
Intestinal types tend to have a better prognosis Diffuse types tend to grow and spread more quickly. It is less common than enteric type, and it tends to be more difficult to treat. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs)
These are uncommon tumors that arise from cells in the stomach wall called Cajal interstitial cells. Some GISTs have the ability to thrive or spread to other parts of the body. Although GIST can start anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, most start in the stomach.
Neuroendocrine tumors (including carcinoids)
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) that arise from cells in the stomach (or other parts of the digestive tract) that act like neurons in a number of ways such as making hormones (endocrine). Most NETs tend to grow slowly and spread little to other organs, but some can grow and spread quickly.
Lymphomas
These cancers come from cells of the immune system called lymphocytes. Lymphomas usually start in other parts of the body, but some can start in the stomach wall. Treatment and prognosis for these tumors depend on the type of lymphoma and other factors
Other cancers
Other cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma, carcinoma Small cell and connective tissue cancers, which can also start in the stomach, are very rare.

How common is stomach cancer?
The American Cancer Society estimates for stomach cancer in the United States for 2021 are:
Approximately 26,560 new cases of stomach cancer (16,160 in men and 10,400 in women) Approximately 11,180 deaths from the type This cancer (6,740 men and 4,440 women) Stomach cancer accounts for about 1.5% of all new cancers diagnosed in the United States each year. Who gets stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer mainly affects older people. The median age was 68. The risk of stomach cancer was in men (about 1 in 96) compared with women (about 1 in 152). The risk can be attributed to many different factors
Stomach cancer trends over time
In the United States, the number of new stomach cancer cases has decreased by about 1.5% per year for the past 10 years. During the early 20th century, stomach cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for the most part, but today it has dropped dramatically. The cause is not clear, but two main factors are believed to be important:
Increasing use of refrigerators for food preservation is leading to people eating less salted and smoked foods. The number of people infected with Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) bacteria has decreased, which is believed to be the main cause of stomach cancer. While stomach cancer has become less common in the United States, it is still common in some other parts of the world, especially in East Asia. It remains one of the leading causes of cancer death in the world.
What's new in stomach cancer?
Many studies on stomach cancer are being carried out in many medical centers and other institutions around the world. Scientists are learning more about what causes disease and how best to prevent, detect and treat it.

Like all forms of disease, stomach cancer is complex. It can be formed by many factors that interact to increase the risk of stomach cancer. To learn more about these factors, refer to the article below.
MORE: Risk factors for stomach cancer

sentinel lymph node biopsy
In people diagnosed with stomach cancer, it is important to find out if it has spread to nearby lymph nodes. Doctors are studying whether sentinel lymph node biopsies can help find the spread of stomach cancer. This technique has proven successful in breast cancer
In this procedure, the surgeon injects a blue dye or radioactive tracer into the cancer. They go to the sentinel lymph nodes, which are nearby lymph nodes where the cancer spreads first. When these nodes are found with the help of dyes or markers, doctors can remove these lymph nodes and look for cancer cells. If no cancer cells are found in these lymph nodes, the cancer cells may not have spread elsewhere, and dissection of the entire lymph node may not be necessary. If cancer is found in the sentinel lymph nodes, all lymph nodes in the area will need to be removed.
This technique has been shown to help find more lymph nodes to remove and find lymph nodes that are more likely to contain cancer cells. But it's not yet clear if the technique is ready for widespread use.

Stomach cancer is usually treated with one or more methods, based on test results and the patient's overall health. Refer to the treatment methods for stomach cancer in the article below.
SEE ALSO: Stomach cancer treatments
At Vinmec, gastric cancer screening is done through gastroscopy with NBI (Narrow Banding Imaging) for The imaging results of mucosal pathology analysis are clearer than conventional endoscopy.
Besides, with the system of Laboratory Department - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital is a synchronous testing center with a full range of fields: Biochemistry, Hematology - Blood Transfusion, Microbiology - Parasites and Pathology and 3 majors: Biochemistry, Hematology - Blood Transfusion, Microbiology - Parasitology all achieved ISO 15189:2012 certificates. Vinmec Institute of Stem Cell and Gene Technology also screened 15 common cancers in Men and 17 common cancers in Women with only one gene test.
If you need more advice and examination at Vinmec Health System Hospitals nationwide, please book an appointment on the website for service.