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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

The stomach is an organ between the esophagus and the small intestine. It mixes food with stomach acid and helps digest protein. Stomach cancer mostly affects older people - two-thirds of people who have it are over age 65. Your risk of getting it is also higher if you:

• Have had a Helicobacter pylori infection
• Have had stomach inflammation
• Are a man
• Eat lots of salted, smoked, or pickled foods
• Smoke cigarettes
• Have a family history of stomach cancer

It is hard to diagnose stomach cancer in its early stages. Indigestion and stomach discomfort can be symptoms of early cancer, but other problems can cause the same symptoms. In advanced cases, there may be blood in your stool, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, jaundice, or trouble swallowing. Doctors diagnose stomach cancer with a physical exam, blood and imaging tests, an endoscopy, and a biopsy.

Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat stomach cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• Stomach Cancer (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• What Is Stomach Cancer? (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• What Is Stomach Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Stomach Cancer Symptoms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Stomach Cancer Diagnosis (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Stomach Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Stomach Cancer Stages (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Stomach Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Tumor Marker Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Upper GI Endoscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Upper GI Series (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Risk Factors for Stomach Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Stomach Cancer Causes and Risk Factors (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Drugs Approved for Stomach (Gastric) Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Gastrectomy - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stomach Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Stomach Cancer Treatment by Stage (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Surgery for Stomach Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Coping with Stomach Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Living as a Stomach Cancer Survivor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Questions to Ask Your Health Care Team About Stomach Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Stomach Polyps (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• What Causes Stomach Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Stomach Cancer Survival Rates and Prognosis (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Cancer Statistics: Cancer of the Stomach (National Cancer Institute)
• Incidence of Cancers of the Lower Stomach Increasing among Younger Americans (National Cancer Institute)
• Key Statistics about Stomach Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Pembrolizumab Secures FDA Approval in Stomach Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• What's New in Stomach Cancer Research and Treatment? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Stomach Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: DKN-01 and tislelizumab as second-line therapy in DKK1-high gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: DisTinGuish...
• Article: Safety and Efficacy of Reduced-Port Versus Conventional Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy for...
• Article: Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer may Worsen Prognosis in Elderly Women:...
• Stomach Cancer -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• ASGE: Find a Doctor (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy)
• Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Find a Gastroenterologist (GI Doctor) (American College of Gastroenterology)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

• Childhood Stomach Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Abdominal radiation - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• After chemotherapy - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Gastrectomy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Radiation enteritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stomach cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish