The mutation of the cell causes it to grow and divide at an abrupt rate causing the accumulation of cancerous cells to grow into a tumor. The tumor formed due to accumulation of cell determines the type and stage of stomach cancer a person is suffering from.

This article helps you in identifying types of stomach cancer and stages of stomach cancer

Types of Stomach Cancer

Different type of stomach cancer are:

• Adenocarcinomas:

  It is the most common type of stomach cancer and accounts for 90-95% of stomach cancer cases. This cancer begins from the cell that form the inner most lining of stomach known as mucosa. As the cells divide and grow into a tumor:

  1. The tumor grows deeper into the walls of stomach and may reach a stage where it may affect nearby organs such as pancreas and liver.
  2. The tumor may grow up and infect oesophagus (food pipe) or may grow down to infect small intestine

• Carcinoid tumors:

  This cancer starts from hormone producing cells in stomach. It generally do not spread to different organs and accounts for only 3% of stomach cancer cases.

• Lymphoma:

  This cancer is related to immune system tissue and may affect lymph tissues inside stomach. It is rarity to find lymphonas in stomach and account for only 4% of all stomach cancers.

• Gastrointestinal stromal tumors:

  This cancer originates from a cell found in the inner lining of stomach called interstitial cells of Cajal. It can occur anywhere inside digestive tract but most cases of this tumor are found in stomach.

Stages of Stomach Cancer

Staging helps us to identify where the cancer is located, to what extent it is spread and whether it is affecting other body parts. Stomach cancer stages can be categorized as:

Stage 0:

In this stage cancer is found only in inner linings of mucosa and has not grown into any other layers of stomach. Generally cancer is not diagnosed at this stage. This stage is also known as carcinoma in situ.

Stage 1

It is earliest stage of cancer and is divided into two stages namely, Stage 1A and Stage 1B, depending on where the cancer has spread.?

• Stage 1A:

  The cancer has spread into submucosa (tissue next to mucosa), but it has not spread to any lymph nodes or other organs.

• Stage 1B:

  This stage can have any of the condition:

  1. The stomach cancer has grown into mucosa and is also found in one or two lymph nodes.
  2. The stomach cancer has grown into the muscles of stomach wall.

Stage 2:

It is again divided into two stages based on where the cancer has spread.

• Stage 2A:

  This stage can have any of the conditions

  1. The cancer has grown into inner layer of stomach and is found in three to six lymph nodes.
  2. The cancer has grown into the muscles of stomach wall and spread to one or more lymph nodes.

• Stage 2B:

  This stage can have any of the conditions

  1. The cancer has grown into inner layer of stomach and is found in more than seven lymph nodes.
  2. The cancer has grown through all the muscles of stomach wall.

Stage 3

Stage 3 is again divided into

• Stage 3A:

  The cancer has grown into muscle layer and 7 or more lymph nodes.

• Stage 3B:

  The cancer has grown into outer lining of stomach and 7 or more lymph nodes.

• Stage 3C:

  The cancer has grown through all the layers of stomach and spread to more than 7 lymph nodes.

Stage 4

The cancer has spread to distant parts of body along with area around stomach.