Fig.1 Gastric cancer
Gastric cancer, also named as stomach cancer, is cancer which develops from the lining of the stomach. Early symptoms may include loss of appetite, heartburn, nausea and upper abdominal pain. Later signs and symptoms may include vomiting, weight loss, whites of the eyes, yellowing of the skin, difficulty swallowing and blood in the stool among others. The cancer can spread from the stomach to other parts of the body, particularly the lungs, liver, bones, lymph nodes and lining of the abdomen. Stomach cancers are regarded overwhelmingly adenocarcinomas (90%), which is a king of malignant epithelial tumour, originating from the glandular epithelium of the gastric mucosa. The majority cause is infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, accounting for more than 60% of cases. Blood tests for tumor markers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) correlate to extent of metastasis, especially to the liver, and the cure rate.
