In the last few decades, more and more people are affected by cancer. It is predicted to surpass heart diseases and become the leading cause of death in the future. The rate of people getting cancer and the rate of people dying from cancer can be reduced through screening, treatment, and awareness. Cancer mainly refers to a group of more than 100 multiple diseases. The cancers are named by the type of organ or cell from where they start.

Stomach cancer is one cancer where the cancer cells start to develop from the inner lining of the stomach, called the mucosa. Also known as gastric cancer it’s estimated that, each year, 7,23,000 people die from stomach cancer worldwide.

Here are the most common stomach cancers by type:

1. Adenocarcinomas
Adenocarcinomas are the most common types of stomach cancer. In this situation, the cancer cells develop in the mucosa, the inner lining of the stomach from where mucus is produced.

2. Gastrointestinal stromal
GISTs or gastrointestinal stromal tumors are other types of stomach cancer wherein an uncontrolled abnormal cell is detected in the stomach lining. GIST cells look like nerve cells or muscle cells. They may develop in the digestive tract, but in 60-70% cases, they develop in the stomach.

3. Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that can develop in any part of the lymphatic system, including the bone marrow, thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, and tonsils.

4. Carcinoid tumors
Carcinoid tumors begin from the hormone-secretion glands of the stomach. Gastric carcinoid tumors are developed in the stomach, but they do not spread to other organs. This type of stomach cancer is of three types: In type 1 and 2, the cancer cells do not spread to other organs and do not result in any symptoms. In these types of stomach cancer, the cancer cells are often undetected as they do not produce any health issues in the initial stage. They are only detected through endoscopy.

In type 3 of gastric carcinoid tumors, the cancer cells are very aggressive in nature. It increases hormone production, as a result of which, the patient develops unhealthy conditions like diarrhoea, abdominal pain, constriction of the bronchial tubes in the lungs, and dysfunction of valves.

5. Stomach cancer symptoms and diagnosis
Stomach cancer is very difficult to recognize at the first stage as it does not produce any symptoms until it develops to an advanced stage. Cancer can be detected through screening tests. Other ways to diagnose cancer are physical exam, laboratory exam, and biopsy.

6. Cancer stages
Cancer stages show how much the cancer cells have spread throughout the organs. Staging is determined through stages I, II, III, and IV; a higher numeral means the disease has spread to a higher extent.

Doctors treat cancer after detecting the stage of the cancer cells. In various types of stomach cancers, the diagnosis process is different from the others, but detecting the cancer at the initial stage is beneficial for the patient.