In the past 25 years the incidence of this cancer in the Western world has fallen by 50% and the resulting mortality rate is less than a third of what it used to be, but in less developed countries remains one of the leading causes of death, probably because in these countries by the time the disease is diagnosed (usually by a barium meal), stomach cancer is at an advanced stage.TYPES OF STOMACH CANCER
There are several different types of stomach cancer, some of which are very rare. The most common types begin in glandular cells of the stomach lining (adenocarcinomas), this is where stomach acid and digestive enzymes are made, and where most cancers start. When the tumor becomes more advanced, you can travel through the bloodstream and spread to organs like the liver, lungs and bones. Cancers that begin in lymphatic tissue (lymphoma) in stomach muscle tissue (sarcoma) or in the tissues that support the organs of the digestive system (gastrointestinal stromal tumors) are less common and are treated differently.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The first signs of stomach cancer are chronic dyspepsia and epigastric discomfort, followed in the later stages of weight loss, anorexia, feeling of fullness after eating, anemia and fatigue. Blood in the stool may also be present and whether the cancer is located in the cardia (above) can cause vomiting.
