Stomach Cancer

There are several types and is the cancer of the stomach lining (adenocarcinoma) and is more common.

Rare ones include:

• Cancer of stomach lymphatic tissue (lymph nodes drain away fluid and fight infection)
• Cancer of muscles or connective tissues of stomach wall e.g. gastrointestinal stomach tumour.

There are four different stages of stomach cancer (which are further sub-divided):

Stage 1

Stage 1A

• Cancer has not spread into the main muscular layer of the stomach wall.

Stage 1B

• Cancer has either spread to one or two nearby lymph nodes or spread into the main muscular layer of the stomach wall.

Stage 2

Stage IIA

• Spread to three to six nearby lymph nodes.

or

• Spread to the main muscular layer of the stomach wall and one or two nearby lymph nodes.

or

• Spread to no lymph nodes or other tissues or organs, but the cancer has grown through the main muscle layer of the stomach wall into the subserosa (the thin layer between the main muscle layer of the stomach and the outside membrane of the stomach called the serosa).

Stage IIB Stomach Cancer

•  Cancer has spread to seven or more nearby lymph nodes but not into the main muscular layer.

or

• The cancer has spread to three to six nearby lymph nodes, in addition to the main muscular layer.

or

• The cancer has spread through the main muscular layer into the subserosa layer, in addition to one or two nearby lymph nodes.

or

• The cancer has spread into the outer covering of the stomach (called the serosa) but not to any nearby lymph nodes.

Stage 3

Stage IIIA Stomach Cancer

• Spread into the main muscular layer of the stomach wall and seven or more nearby lymph nodes.

or

• Spread into the subserosal layer of the stomach and three to six lymph nodes.

or

• Spread into the serosa and one or two nearby lymph nodes.

Stage IIIB Stomach Cancer

• Spread to seven or more nearby lymph nodes, but not into the serosa.

or

• Spread to the serosa and three to six nearby lymph nodes (no other tissues or organs).

or

• Spread through the serosa into nearby organs (for example, the spleen, intestines, liver, pancreas, or major blood vessels) and possibly one or two nearby lymph nodes.

Stage IIIC Stomach Cancer

• Cancer has grown into the serosa and has spread to seven or more nearby lymph nodes.

or

• Cancer has spread to nearby organs and three or more nearby lymph nodes.

Stage 4

Stage IV Stomach Cancer

• Cancer has spread to organs that are far away from the stomach like the liver, lungs, brain, or bones—this is called metastatic stomach cancer.