About
Gastric (Stomach) Cancer
The stomach is
a muscular sac located on the upper left side of the
abdomen just below the ribs. Most stomach cancers
start in the glandular cells in the stomach lining (adenocarcinomas).
Occasionally, tumors may also develop in the
stomach's lymphatic tissue (lymphoma) or muscle
(sarcoma). About 3 percent of stomach cancers are
carcinoid tumors that originate in the stomach's
hormone-producing cells. Gastric cancer commonly
spreads to adjacent lymph nodes and can grow through
the wall to invade nearby organs such as the colon,
pancreas, spleen and liver. It may spread through
lymphatic channels to nearby lymph nodes or may
spread though the blood stream to involve the lung,
liver or more distant organs. Gastric cancer can
also spread to distant organs prior to diagnosis.
About 21,500 new cases of gastric cancer are
diagnosed each year in the United States. Twice as
many men get gastric cancer as women.
