Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer is not an especially common cancer in the U.S., though it is common in other parts of the world. Stomach cancer can be difficult to find at an early stage, when it’s easier to treat. This means you’re more likely to learn you have stomach cancer after it has started to spread — and this also means that you should be seen by a team of specialists who focus on gastrointestinal cancers.

At MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, our multidisciplinary team includes medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, dietitians, psychologists, genetic counselors and nurse navigators who work together to help you through your diagnosis.

We also offer a next-day access program for people with newly-diagnosed, non-metastatic stomach cancer so you can begin discussing a treatment plan with a surgeon right away.

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What is stomach cancer?

There are different types of cancer that can form in the stomach, but by far the most common is adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma means any cancer that starts in gland cells. In the stomach, this means cancer that forms in the mucosa, the innermost lining where digestive juices are formed and released.

Stomach cancer is sometimes referred to as gastric cancer.

Sometimes cancer forms right where the stomach connects to the esophagus. This is known as gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Rare types of cancer in the stomach include gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors; gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST); hereditary diffuse gastric cancer; and primary gastric lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Have more questions about stomach cancer? Check out our answers to common questions.

Stomach cancer symptoms

Stomach cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms at first. The symptoms that are associated with stomach cancer are most often caused by something other than cancer. Possible symptoms to talk to your doctor about include:

• Feeling bloated after eating
• Indigestion, including excessive burping, or heartburn
• Nausea
• No appetite

When stomach cancer starts to spread, it can cause more serious symptoms. Some of the things to talk to your doctor about include:

• Pain in the abdomen
• Losing weight without trying
• Vomiting
• Swelling in the abdomen
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes, underside of the tongue and gum line)

Stomach cancer treatment

Our teams work together to develop a multi-disciplinary plan that is tailored to your needs. That could include a combination of different types of therapy, depending on the stage of your cancer, where it is located and your overall health. Your team will be able to answer any questions that you have about the proposed treatment.

Surgery (gastrectomy)

Surgery is often part of stomach cancer treatment. Whenever possible, our teams will use minimally invasive methods, like robotic surgery or laparoscopic surgery. Minimally invasive surgeries require smaller incisions (cuts), which usually means a faster recovery time and less pain.

Surgery to remove part of the stomach is called a partial gastrectomy. Surgery to remove the entire stomach is a total gastrectomy.

After a total gastrectomy, when you eat, your food will go directly from your esophagus to your small intestine. You won’t have your stomach to do its part in digesting food and extracting nutrients. To help you to adjust to life without a stomach, you will work with a dietitian who will guide you in what and when you need to eat. Although it is an adjustment, you can live a normal lifespan after a gastrectomy.

Other treatment options

In addition to surgery, other treatment options for gastric cancer may include:

• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Clinical trials

Refer a stomach cancer patient

To refer a stomach cancer patient to Hollings, please call nurse coordinator Kelsey Cook at 843-985-7262.

Nurse navigator support

Our nurse navigators are an integral part of cancer care. They can help you to navigate through the health system, organize your appointments, and access additional resources. Our gastrointestinal cancer nurse navigator Anthony DeMeo, MSN, RN, will help you understand what to expect during treatment and answer questions you may have.

Clinical trials for stomach cancer

Clinical trials are how we know which treatments work; results from clinical trials determine what becomes the standard of care across cancer centers. As a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, Hollings takes an active part in clinical trials to continue advancing knowledge of cancer care.

Why might you participate in a clinical trial?

First, there are different types of trials. Some test a new medication. Some might look at whether the order of treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation) makes a difference. Others look at ways to improve quality of life. Your doctor may suggest a clinical trial believing that you could benefit from it. Because therapies in clinical trials have the potential to become the standard of care in the future, you could possibly have earlier access to a new treatment. You will also be helping future cancer patients, who will benefit from the information created during the trial. In some clinical trials you will receive at least the standard of care, and possibly something extra, while in others you will receive a new drug that is being tested in your type of cancer. Your doctor and the research team will help to guide you.

Our clinical trials page includes more information about trials as well as some questions for you to ask if you are considering a trial. You can also review our current stomach cancer clinical trials and gastrointestinal cancer clinical trials.

Stomach cancer risk factors

Risk factors increase your risk of getting cancer — they do not mean that you will automatically get cancer and they do not mean that people without these risk factors won’t get cancer. But, knowing that some actions increase your risk can help to motivate lifestyle choices.

Risk factors for stomach cancer:

• Smoking cigarettes.
• Eating a diet with lots of smoked, salted or charcoaled meat and few fruits or vegetables.
• Long-term infection with H. pylori, a bacterium that is more common in areas with poor sanitation and crowded living conditions.
• Family history (parent, sibling or child with stomach cancer or a known family cancer syndrome).

Stomach cancer statistics

Some notable statistics about stomach cancer, according to the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute:

• Stomach cancer is the 15th most common cancer in the U.S.
• Stomach cancer in the U.S. has decreased over the past several decades, but the rates of this cancer appear to now be increasing among younger women.
• Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 65 and 74.
• Men are more likely than women to get stomach cancer.