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Gastric (Stomach) Cancer
The most common type of stomach (gastric) cancer is an adenocarcinoma (from cells that form any kind of glands). Gastric cancers are far less common than a century ago, probably because we now use refrigeration rather than older ways to preserve food, such as salting and smoking. Cancers arising near the small bowel have continued to decrease, but cancers closer to the esophagus have been increasing, especially in patients under 40.
Being infected with H. pylori bacteria increases the risk of stomach cancer, particularly in Asian Americans. A diet high in salted and smoked foods and low in fruits and vegetables, as well as smoking and genetic factors, increase the risk of developing stomach cancer. Like most cancers, stomach cancer increases with age.
The patient's prognosis depends on how deeply the cancer invades into the wall of the stomach and whether it extends into lymph nodes, which define the stage (from I to IV). Tumor grade, which increases from I-III as it becomes more abnormal-looking under the microscope, also affects the patientís outcome.
Treating Gastric Cancer
Depending on their cancer type and stage, gastric patients may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination. Early gastric cancer (Stage I) may be successfully treated with surgery alone. Most patients with stage II-IV gastric cancer are best treated with combinations of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Therefore, a patient diagnosed with stomach cancer should be treated where these treatments are offered by experienced cancer doctors used to working as a team.
Chemotherapy drugs are usually administered through a vein into the bloodstream (intravenously), but some can be given by mouth (orally). Usually, patients receive chemotherapy as an outpatient treatment at a hospital, clinic or doctorís office. The time needed for each treatment session depends on the type of chemotherapy.
The graph below shows the overall survival for all patients under age 80 diagnosed with gastric cancer by stage. These results compare favorably with the results of gastric patients in treatment trials, indicating the ability of our multidisciplinary teams to provide complex, integrated treatment programs.
Gastric cancer clinical trials, or research studies, are necessary to determine whether new treatments developed in the laboratory are beneficial to people with gastric cancer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews and analyzes data from successful clinical trials to determine whether to approve an experimental treatment to treat a specific disease or disorder, such as gastric cancer.
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