Introduction
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Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.
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Gastric cancer is rare in the US.
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Gastric adenocarcinoma is the most common type of gastric cancer.
Risk Factors
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Helicobacter pylori infection and diet are two of the most important risk factors.
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Men are at a greater risk than women.
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Inherited genes raise the risk for gastric cancer development. Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) syndrome involves inheriting specific forms of the CDH1 gene.
Symptoms
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Typically, early-stage gastric cancers are asymptomatic.
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Late-stage gastric cancers may cause abdominal pain, bloody stool or weight loss.
Pathology Report and Staging
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A biopsy of the tissue can be examined for tissue appearance, cellular make up, and abnormalities.
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The T/N/M system is one of the most common methods used for gastric cancer staging.
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The T/N/M system assigns a degree of severity based on size, location, and spread of the cancer.
Gastric Cancer Tumor Biology
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Many genetic changes occur in cancer. Details can be found in the Mutation section.
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One of the more common mutations in hereditary gastric cancer occurs in the CDH1 gene which acts as a tumor suppressor and plays a role in cell signaling.
Treatment
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Treatments may include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
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The lymph nodes surrounding the stomach are often removed during surgery.
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