Gastric cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the stomach. Risk factors of gastric cancer are:
H pylori infection with chronic atrophic gastritis/metaplasia/dysplasia
Gastric adenoma
Smoking
Hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer
Juvenile polyposis
Peutz jegher’s Syndrome
Obesity
Cigarette smoking
Clinical symptoms
Vomiting
Hemetemesis
Pain abdomen
Post prandial fullness
Anorexia
Weight loss
Diagnosis and staging
Endoscopy is the investigation of choice for diagnosis of gastric cancer. Findings on endoscopy are gastric ulcer with raised margins, growth in the stomach
CECT abdomen is done in every patient for assessment of resectibility
PET scan plays a limited role in these patients
Treatment
In patients with resectable tumor, surgery is the treatment of choice
In patients with advanced disease, chemotherapy can result in palliation of symptoms, prolong the survival and downstage the tumor, so that surgery can be done