Stomach Tumors

Most gastric or stomach tumors are malignant. They affect twice as many men as women, usually between the ages of 50 and 70. It is rare to find this type of cancer in people younger than 40.

As few as 10% of stomach tumors are benign. Like the malignant stomach tumors, the most common early symptom of a benign stomach tumor may be microscopic bleeding that can be detected only by laboratory examination of your stool.

The cause of malignant stomach tumors is unknown. Genetic factors may have some influence. They are 2 to 4 times more common in members of the immediate family of people with the disease. Stomach cancer is much more common in Japan. But the children of Japanese who migrate to the US have much lower incidence of stomach cancer, suggesting that environmental influences such as diet may be potential causes.

There is no one symptom that will suggest that you have a malignant stomach tumor. One of every four persons with a malignant stomach tumor has the same symptoms as someone with a peptic ulcer. Approximately 5 percent of stomach cancers are lymphomas. The symptoms of lymphoma are very similar to those of stomach cancer.

If persistent indigestion develops for the first time in your life along with the unexplained weight loss and nausea, your physician may want to obtain a barium x-ray or an endoscopic examination. In most cases, these procedures will determine whether your symptoms are due to a malignant stomach tumor or to some other abnormality such as a peptic ulcer.

This form of cancer is difficult to treat. If the cancer is confined to the stomach, the chance of cure is good. However, the disease often has spread, and the chance of cure is then significantly decrease.

If the stomach tumor is malignant, surgical removal offers the only chance for a cure. The likelihood of success depends almost exclusively on whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. If the cancer is caught early and it is determined that surgery can remove all of the affected areas, full recover is possible. Even when surgery may not be able to affect a cure, it still may be recommended to help alleviate pain, bleeding, or obstruction.

In addition to surgery for malignant stomach tumors, your physician may choose chemotherapy as an additional treatment using a number of anticancer medications. Radiation is sometimes used, but both radiation and chemotherapy can only relieve the symptoms; they do not cure the cancer. If the cancer is too far advanced for chemotherapy or surgery to be effective, analgesic drugs may be used to reduce pain.