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Stomach Cancer

Stomach Cancer Introduction

The stomach is a muscular bag with a capacity of about 1 liter or quart. It lies along the digestive tract between the esophagus and the small intestine. The stomach serves as a reservoir for food eaten during meals and begins the process of digestion. Its inner walls are composed of glands that secrete acid and digestive enzymes.

The most common form of cancer that affects the stomach is adenocarcinoma, which arises in the glands of the innermost layer of the stomach. This tumor tends to spread through the wall of the stomach and from there into the adjoining organs (pancreas and spleen) and lymph nodes. It can spread through the bloodstream and lymph system to distant organs (metastasize).

  • The incidence and death rates for stomach cancer have decreased markedly during the past 60 years. In 1930, stomach cancer was the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among American men. Since then, the death rate in men from stomach cancer in the United States has dropped from 28 to 5 per 100,000 people.


  • In 1996, about 22,800 new cases of stomach cancer were diagnosed in the United States, and 14,000 Americans died of the disease. This form of cancer is 1.5-2.5 times more common in African American, Hispanic, and Native American people than in whites.



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Stomach Cancer

Cancer: What You Need to Know »

When the Diagnosis Is Cancer

The news comes like a sledgehammer into the stomach: "I’m sorry to tell you, but you have cancer."

Every year, a million Americans are devastated by news of cancer or another dreaded disease. What soon follows is an avalanche, a tidal wave of emotions: fear, anger, bewilderment, indecision, and the need to reach out to a family member or a loved one for support and encouragement.

Quite often, a person's first reaction is to think, "No way, not me. I’m a good person," as if the cancer resulted as a punishment for unresolved issues. Then comes an overwhelming need to get information. And that is probably why you are reading this.

You need to become the best and smartest patient your doctor ever had, simply because you need to be.

For most people, the cancer can be cured or controlled by surgery and, in some cases, by combinations of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Never before has the outlook for c...

Read the Cancer: What You Need to Know article »



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Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the world.

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