What is Stomach cancer?

Stomach cancer: Stomach or gastric cancer can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs.
Stomach cancer: Primary or metastatic malignant neoplasm of the stomach
Source - Diseases Database

Stomach cancer is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Stomach cancer, or a subtype of Stomach cancer, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Stomach cancer as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet

Stomach cancer: Introduction

Types of Stomach cancer:

Broader types of Stomach cancer:

How many people get Stomach cancer?

Incidence (annual) of Stomach cancer: 21,600 annual cases (SEER 2002 estimate); about 24,000 annual cases in the United States (NCI)
Incidence Rate of Stomach cancer: approx 1 in 12,592 or 0.01% or 21,600 people in USA [about data]
Lifetime risk of Stomach cancer: 1 in 99 men will develop stomach cancer during their lifetime in Australia 2000 (AIHW and AACR, AIHW National Mortality Database, Australia’s Health 2004, AIHW)
Incidence of Stomach cancer: Each year, about 24,000 people in the United States learn that they have cancer of the stomach. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Stomach Cancer: NCI)

Who gets Stomach cancer?

Patient Profile for Stomach cancer: Typically over 55; rare before age 40.

Profile for Stomach cancer: The disease is found most often in people over age 55. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Stomach Cancer: NCI)

Gender Profile for Stomach cancer: More common in males

Gender Profile for Stomach cancer: It affects men twice as often as women (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Stomach Cancer: NCI)

Race Profile for Stomach cancer: more common in black people than in white people. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Stomach Cancer: NCI)

How serious is Stomach cancer?

Complications of Stomach cancer: see complications of Stomach cancer
Average life years lost for Stomach cancer: 14.3 years (SEER)¹
Deaths for Stomach cancer: 12,711 deaths reported in USA 1999 (NVSR Sep 2001)

What causes Stomach cancer?

Causes of Stomach cancer: see causes of Stomach cancer
Risk factors for Stomach cancer: see risk factors for Stomach cancer

What are the symptoms of Stomach cancer?

Symptoms of Stomach cancer: see symptoms of Stomach cancer

Complications of Stomach cancer: see complications of Stomach cancer

Can anyone else get Stomach cancer?

Contagion of cancer: generally not; see details in contagion of cancer.
More information: see contagiousness of Stomach cancer
Inheritance: see inheritance of Stomach cancer

Stomach cancer: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Stomach cancer.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Stomach cancer.

How is it treated?

Doctors and Medical Specialists for Stomach cancer: Gastroenterologist, Oncologist, Radiation oncologists, Surgeons ; see also doctors and medical specialists for Stomach cancer.
Treatments for Stomach cancer: see treatments for Stomach cancer
Research for Stomach cancer: see research for Stomach cancer

Society issues for Stomach cancer

Hospitalization statistics for Stomach cancer: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Stomach cancer:

% (29,489) of hospital consultant episodes were for malignant neoplasm of stomach in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
83% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of stomach required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
71% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of stomach were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
29% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of stomach were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
more statistics...»

Organs Affected by Stomach cancer:

Organs and body systems related to Stomach cancer include:

Name and Aliases of Stomach cancer

Main name of condition: Stomach cancer

Class of Condition for Stomach cancer: cancer

Other names or spellings for Stomach cancer:

stomach tumor, cancer of the stomach, gastric cancer

Gastric cancer Source - Diseases Database

Stomach neoplasms
Source - Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Stomach cancer:

Footnotes:
1. SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975-2000, National Cancer Institute (NCI)

» Next page: Online Medical Textbooks for Stomach cancer

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What is Stomach cancer?