Generality
Stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, is a neoplasm - usually malignant in nature - that develops from a "crazed cell" in the stomach.
More common in the elderly population, this serious disease is the fifth most common form of malignancy and the third most common cause of cancer death, after lung cancer and liver cancer.
The precise causes of stomach cancer are unknown; however, doctors agree that the following certainly affect the development of gastric neoplasms: an incorrect diet, cigarette smoking, genetic factors, gastric ulcer, infection with Helicobacter Pylori, pernicious anemia, autoimmune atrophic gastritis, alcohol abuse and the consumption of foods contaminated with aflatoxins.
After an initial asymptomatic phase, stomach cancer causes digestive disorders and general symptoms, which tend to progressively worsen as the disease progresses.
An accurate diagnosis of gastric cancer requires several investigations; a very important diagnostic test is gastroscopy.
Stomach cancer therapy can include: surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and so-called targeted therapy.
