Stomach Health Article

Cancer of the stomach

Cancer of the stomach affects about 24,000 people in the United States each year. It occurs most often in adults over 55; it is more common in men than in women, and more common in African Americans than in Caucasians. Stomach cancer may develop in any part of the stomach and metastasize (spread) to other parts of the digestive tract or to such distant organs as the ovaries or lungs. The early symptoms of stomach cancer are often vague and nonspecific, which means that they can be caused by a range of other health problems. A definite diagnosis of stomach cancer requires a series of laboratory tests and a biopsy of a tissue sample obtained by an instrument called a gastroscope.

The most common treatment for stomach cancer is surgical removal of part or all of the stomach. This procedure is called a gastrectomy. Patients with stomach cancer may also be treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy.

KEY TERMS

Antrum—The lower portion of the stomach near the pyloric sphincter.

Chyme—The mass of semiliquid, partially digested food found in the stomach.

Fundus—The upper portion of the stomach near the esophagus.

Gastrin—A hormone that stimulates the secretion of gastric juice.

Gastritis—Inflammation of the stomach.

Gastroenteritis—Inflammation of the stomach and the intestines.

Lumen—The hollow inside a tubular organ such as the digestive tract.

Pepsin—An enzyme produced in the stomach that breaks down proteins in the presence of hydrochloric acid.

Peristalsis—Muscular contractions that move food through the digestive tract.

Retropulsion—A process in which muscular contractions push food that has entered the duodenum backward into the stomach. Retropulsion helps to mix the chyme with gastric juices, and to break large lumps of food into smaller pieces.

Rugae—Ridges or folds in the mucosal and submucosal layers of tissue in the wall of the stomach.

Sphincter—A circular band of muscle that encircles an orifice of the body or one of its hollow organs, such as the digestive tract.