Gastric cancer

What is gastric cancer?

• Gastric cancer is a cancer that starts in the stomach, an organ that is part of the digestive system¹
• It starts in the inner layer of the stomach and grows into the outer layers¹

Types of gastric cancer

• 90 to 95% of stomach cancers are of a type known as adenocarcinoma^1,2
• Some other cancers may develop in the stomach but are not referred to as gastric cancer; these include:^1,2
  • Lymphomas
  • Gastrointestinal stromal tumours
  • Carcinoid tumours

Who gets gastric cancer?

• Gastric cancer is almost twice as common in males as in females^2,3
• Most people with gastric cancer are aged over 55 years^2,3
• Smokers are twice as likely to develop gastric cancer as non-smokers^2,3
• A diet low in fibre and high in processed food or red meat may increase susceptibility to gastric cancer²
• It is the 5th most common cancer worldwide⁴
• 952,000 new cases were diagnosed worldwide in 2012⁴

Screening, detection, and diagnosis

• There are no screening programmes for gastric cancer in Europe, but there is a screening programme in Japan, where gastric cancer is very common⁵
• The main tests used to diagnose gastric cancer are:
  • Endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound, including taking a biopsy⁶
• Other tests may include:
  • Laparoscopy⁶
  • CT and PET scans⁶

Patient guidelines

A patient guideline is a document containing information for patients and their families about their disease and the treatment options available to them

Click here to see the European patient guideline on your condition⁷

Local support groups

Contacting a support group may help you during diagnosis and treatment and afterwards

Infographics

Click here for information on the incidence of gastric cancer in Europe⁸