What is stomach cancer?
The stomach is a hollow organ in the upper abdomen, under the ribs
-Stomach is a part of the digestive system
-Food moves from the mouth through the esophagus to the stomach.
-In the stomach, the food becomes liquid. Muscles in the stomach wall push the liquid into the small intestine.
The wall of the stomach has five layers:
.Inner layer or lining (mucosa)
-Juices made by glands in the inner layer help digest food.
-Most stomach cancers begin in this layer.
.Submucosa
-This is the support tissue for the inner layer.
.Muscle layer
-Muscles in this layer contract to mix and mash the food.
.Subserosa
-This is the support tissue for the outer layer.
.Outer layer (serosa)
-The outer layer covers the stomach. It holds the stomach in place.
The stomach and nearby organs
-Also called as gastric cancer
-Stomach cancer happens when normal cells in the stomach change into abnormal cells and grow out of control.
-There are different kinds of stomach cancer, depending on the type of cells and part of the stomach involved
Prevalence of stomach cancer
-Stomach cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide with approximately 9, 89,600 new cases and 7,38,000 deaths per year, accounting for about 8% of new cancers
-25, 200 men and 27,500 women die of stomach cancer every year in India.
. Adenocarcinoma
-About 90–95% of cancerous tumors of the stomach are adenocarcinomas.
-The term stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, almost always refers to adenocarcinoma.
-This cancer develops from the cells that form the innermost lining of the stomach (mucosa).
. Lymphoma
-These are cancers of the immune system tissue that are sometimes found in the wall of the stomach.
They account for about 4% of stomach cancers.
.Gastrointestinal stromal tumor
-These are rare tumors that seem to start in cells in the wall of the stomach called interstitial cells of Cajal.
Some are non-cancerous (benign); others are cancerous.
-Although these tumors can be found anywhere in the digestive tract, most (about 60–70%) occur in the stomach
. Carcinoid tumor
-These are tumors that start in hormone-making cells of the stomach.
Most of these tumors do not spread to other organs.
About 3% of stomach cancers are carcinoid tumors
. Staging is a careful attempt to find out the following:
-How deeply the tumor invades the wall of the stomach
-Whether the stomach tumor has invaded nearby tissues
-Whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body.
These are the stages of stomach cancer:
.Stage 0
-The tumor is found only in the inner layer of the stomach.
Stage I is one of the following:
-The tumor has invaded only the submucosa. Cancer cells may be found in up to 6 lymph nodes.
-Or, the tumor has invaded the muscle layer or subserosa. Cancer cells have not spread to lymph nodes or other organs
Stage II is one of the following
Stage III is one of the following
-The tumor has invaded the muscle layer or subserosa. Cancer cells have spread to 7 to 15 lymph nodes.
-Or, the tumor has penetrated the outer layer. Cancer cells have spread to 1 to 15 lymph nodes.
-Or, the tumor has invaded nearby organs, such as the liver, colon, or spleen. Cancer cells have not spread to lymph nodes or to distant organs.
-Nasal cavity
.The nose opens into the nasal cavity, which is divided into two nasal passages.
.Air moves through these passages during breathing.
.The nasal cavity lies above the bone that forms the roof of the mouth and curves down at the back to join the throat.
.The area just inside the nostrils is called the nasal vestibule. A small area of special cells in the roof of each nasal passage sends signals to the brain to give the sense of smell.
.Together the paranasal sinuses and the nasal cavity filter and warm the air, and make it moist before it goes into the lungs.
.The movement of air through the sinuses and other parts of the respiratory system help make sounds for talking.
Stage IV is one of the following:
- Cancer cells have spread to more than 15 lymph nodes.
-Or, the tumor has invaded nearby organs and at least 1 lymph node.
-Or, cancer cells have spread to distant organs
There are 3 pairs of major salivary glands:
-Parotid glands: These are the largest salivary glands and are found in front of and just below each ear. Most major salivary gland tumors begin in this gland.
-Sublingual glands: These glands are found under the tongue in the floor of the mouth.
-Submandibular glands: These glands are found below the jawbone.
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