What is stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer (sometimes called gastric cancer) starts in the cells of the stomach. A cancerous (malignant) tumour is a group of cancer cells that can grow into nearby tissue and destroy it. The tumour can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.
The stomach is part of the
Cells in the stomach sometimes change and no longer grow or behave normally. These changes may lead to non-cancerous (benign) tumours such as gastric polyps.
Changes to cells of the stomach can also cause precancerous conditions. This means that the abnormal cells are not yet cancer, but there is a chance that they may become cancer if they aren't treated. The most common precancerous conditions of the stomach are gastric epithelial dysplasia and gastric adenomas.
But in some cases, changes to stomach cells can cause stomach cancer. Most often, stomach cancer starts in the
Rare types of stomach cancer can also develop. These include gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) and lymphomas.