The incidence of stomach cancer has greatly decreased in the United States, but worldwide it is still very high. It is more common in men than in women. It is more common in African Americans than in whites. The incidence of stomach cancer increases after the age of 35.

Stomach cancer is also known as gastric carcinoma. You're at increased risk of developing this cancer if you have a family history of the disease. Dietary factors are strongly linked with stomach cancer, and so is exposure to ionizing radiation. People treated with x-ray therapy are at a higher risk than the normal population for developing stomach cancer.

Unfortunately, there are few signs and symptoms of stomach cancer until late in the disease. Weight loss, abdominal pain, vomiting, a change in bowel habits, and loss of appetite are possible indicators. There are no screening programs in the United States because of low incidence. There are mass screening programs in other countries.

By the time of diagnosis, most stomach cancers have spread beyond the stomach wall. The organ most frequently involved is the liver. Surgery is the only therapy that might cure a gastric carcinoma, but it can't be done if the disease has spread too far at the time of diagnosis. Radiation and chemotherapy are not curative in treatment of gastric cancer but may be a useful in addition to surgery, or in palliation (relief of symptoms). The 5-year survival rate for patients who have very localized disease is 70 percent.

To learn more about stomach cancer, call the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345 or the National Cancer Institute at (800) 4-CANCER.

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