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Gastric cancer

Gastric Cancer

Disease Information

Genentech BioOncology is dedicated to advancing the science of gastric cancer therapy through comprehensive research and education. Gastric cancer usually begins in cells that form the inner layer of the stomach and, over a period, may invade deeper into the stomach wall and other organs.1 Stomach cancers have a tendency to develop slowly over many years.2 Before a stomach cancer turns malignant, precancerous changes often occur in the lining of the stomach. However, these early changes rarely cause symptoms and therefore often go undetected.2

Gastric cancers can be benign or malignant in clinical behavior.1 Benign gastric tumors usually do not pose a risk to life and do not spread to other parts of the body.1 Malignant tumors, in contrast, have a tendency to spread to other parts of the stomach or distant organs.1 As stomach cancer progresses to advanced stages, it can travel through the bloodstream and spread to distant organs such as the liver, lungs, and bones.2

  • An overwhelming majority of malignant stomach cancers (≈90% to 95%) belong to the adenocarcinoma category.2 This type of cancer develops from the cells that form the lining of the stomach known as the mucosa2
  • About 3% of stomach cancers belong to the carcinoid tumor category that originates from hormone-making cells of the stomach.2 These types of tumors usually do not spread to other organs2
  • Another 4% of stomach cancers are categorized as lymphoma (cancers of the immune system tissue) detected in the wall of the stomach. Prognosis and treatment of these tumors may depend on the type of lymphoma present2
  • Rarely, stomach tumors may also include gastrointestinal stromal tumors that originate from cells in the wall of the stomach called interstitial cells of Cajal2

Gastric Cancer Demographic Statistics

  • The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,000 new stomach cancer cases were diagnosed in the United States in 2010 (12,730 men and 8,270 women)3
  • In 2010, approximately 10,570 people died of stomach cancer in the United States3
  • Stomach cancer mostly affects older patients, with the average age at the time of diagnosis being 70 years. About two-thirds of people affected with stomach cancer are 65 or older2
  • The lifetime risk of developing stomach cancer is about 1 in 114, with men at a slightly higher risk than women2

Gastric Cancer Epidemiology

A number of risk factors have been identified in gastric cancer2:

  • Infection with Helicobacter pylori, which causes stomach inflammation and peptic ulcers2
  • Long-term inflammation of the stomach2
  • Smoking, obesity, Epstein-Barr viral infection, and family history of stomach cancer2

Other links to gastric cancer disease information

These links give a sampling of other sites offering information on gastric cancer, which you may find useful in your practice.

Unless otherwise indicated, Genentech, Inc. is neither affiliated with nor endorses any of the organizations listed.

References:
1.
US Department of Health and Human Services. National Cancer Institute. What you need to know about™ stomach cancer. www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/stomach/WYNTK_stomach.pdf. Accessed April 14, 2011.
2.
American Cancer Society. Stomach cancer. www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003141-pdf.pdf. Accessed April 14, 2011.
3.
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2010. www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/
documents/document/acspc-026238.pdf. Accessed April 14, 2011.