What is stomach cancer?

Stomach cancer is a condition of abnormal cell growth in your stomach.

The stomach is part of the body's digestive system and is located in your upper abdomen.

The 2 main types of stomach cancer are:

• gastric adenocarcinoma (gastric cancer) — the most common type
• gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST)

Stomach cancer is rarely diagnosed in people aged under 60 years of age and is more common in males than females.

What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?

Some people have stomach cancer without noticing any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may include:

• heartburn
• nausea or vomiting, that may contain blood
• tiredness
• unexplained weight loss
• feeling full or bloated, even after eating only small amounts
• abdominal pain
• black stools (poo), due to bleeding in the stomach

What causes stomach cancer?

The causes of stomach cancer are not known, but it is more common in people who:

• are over 60 years of age
• smoke
• are infected with the bacteria helicobacter pylori
• eat a lot of smoked, pickled and salted foods and do not eat much fresh fruit and vegetables
• have chronic stomach problems such as polyps or gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
• have a family history of stomach cancer

When should I see my doctor?

You should see your doctor if you have symptoms of stomach cancer.

Remember that many conditions aside from cancer can cause these symptoms. Your doctor is the best person to assess your symptoms and identify the cause.

How is stomach cancer diagnosed?

Your doctor will talk to you and examine you. They may refer you for tests to investigate your symptoms, including:

• gastroscopy — where a thin tube with a camera on the end (endoscope) is passed through your throat and oesophagus to look at the digestive tract and take a sample of tissue (biopsy) from your stomach wall
• blood tests
• stool sample
• endoscopic ultrasound of the inside of your stomach and other organs
• imaging scans of your stomach and nearby organs, such as x-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and positron emission tomography (PET) scan

How is stomach cancer treated?

Treatment for stomach cancer depends on the stage of your disease, the severity of symptoms and your overall health. Options may include:

• surgery to remove part or all of your stomach — known as a partial or total gastrectomy
• radiotherapy — using targeted x-rays to destroy cancer cells
• chemotherapy — strong medicines to destroy cancer cells
• targeted therapy — medicines that attack specific features of cancer cells
• immunotherapy — which helps your immune system fight the cancer

Treatment can be more effective if the cancer is found in its early stages. However, it can be difficult to diagnose stomach cancer early, as it may not cause symptoms.

Living with stomach cancer

If you have been recently diagnosed with stomach cancer, you may feel overwhelmed, scared, anxious or upset. These are all common feelings. Seek support from family and friends; and ask your doctor to refer you to local services and relevant support groups.

These groups and services can help you maintain your quality of life during cancer treatment.

You can also contact the Cancer Council in your state or territory. For more information, call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20.

Stomach cancer and its treatment can make it more difficult to swallow and digest food comfortably. If you experience digestive problems during your treatment, ask your cancer treatment team about what you can do. Strategies may include changes to your diet and eating habits. Your doctor may also recommend medicines or procedures, such as placement of a feeding tube, depending on your situation.

Complications of stomach cancer

Stomach cancer and its treatment can cause symptoms including pain, bleeding, nausea and difficulty swallowing. There are treatments available to help relieve these symptoms. This may include palliative treatment, which is given specifically to address symptoms that affect your quality of life, without necessarily aiming to cure the cancer.

You may also experience side effects from treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy.

Can stomach cancer be prevented?

Stomach cancer can't be prevented, but you can reduce your risk by:

• quitting smoking
• eating a diet high in fresh vegetables and fruit and low in smoked, pickled, and salted foods
• ensuring helicobacter pylori infection is treated, if necessary

Resources and support

• The Cancer Council has many helpful fact sheets about cancer as well as a comprehensive information booklet, ‘Understanding Stomach and Oesophageal Cancer'.
• The GI Cancer Institute has information and support for people with gastrointestinal cancers, including support groups.
• Pancare Foundation can connect you to support groups and offers a PanSupport helpline for people experiencing upper gastrointestinal cancers.

Do you prefer to read in languages other than English?

• General information about cancer is available via the Cancer Council in many community languages.

Looking for information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people?

• The Cancer Council has information about cancer for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
• Our Mob and Cancer has information about cancer, cancer prevention and support for people going through cancer treatment.