Does stomach cancer progress slowly?
Stomach cancer is a slow-growing cancer that usually develops over a year or longer. Generally, there are no symptoms in the early stages (asymptomatic). As the disease progresses, a variety of symptoms can develop.
Does ascites mean cancer has spread?
First, cancer can spread to the lining of the organs—the peritoneum—and make it leaky, causing malignant ascites. Second, cancer can spread to the liver and cause increased pressure in the liver. Certain cancers, such as ovarian, pancreatic, liver, and colon cancers, are more likely to cause ascites.
How Long Does stomach cancer take to form?
The stomach is one part of the digestive tract that digests food and moves nutrients through the gut to the small intestine. Since this type of cancer is typically slow-growing, it can take years to develop.
Where Does stomach cancer usually metastasize to?
The most common place for stomach cancer to spread is to the liver. It can also spread to the lungs, to lymph nodes or to the tissue lining the abdominal cavity (peritoneum).
Is stomach cancer Hereditary?
What proportion of stomach cancer cases are hereditary? Up to 10\% of stomach cancer cases are ” familial ” in origin, meaning that in about 1 in 10 cases, other family members are affected or have an increased risk. However, the exact cause for familial stomach cancer is not always known.
What is the life expectancy of someone with stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer can be fatal if it is not found early. If found early, stomach cancer can be curable. However, stomach cancer is often not diagnosed until it has spread to the lymph nodes or other organs. In its advanced stages, only 1 in 5 people will survive for 5 years.
Do the side effects of stomach cancer treatment ever go away?
Most side effects get better after treatment ends. Some might last longer. Talk to your cancer care team about what you can expect. Targeted drugs are newer treatments that may be used for some types of stomach cancer. These drugs affect mainly cancer cells and not normal cells in the body.
Can stomach cancer spread to other parts of the body?
Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body. Cancer cells in the stomach can sometimes travel to the liver and grow there. When cancer cells do this, it’s called metastasis (pronounced meh-TAS-tuh-sis). To doctors, the cancer cells in the new place look just like the ones from the stomach.
What are the different stages of stomach cancer?
Stage 0 is early cancer on the surface of the stomach lining. Stage 1A or 1B Stage 2A or 2B, commonly with deeper stomach wall involved Stage 3A or 3B or 3C, commonly with lymph node (s) involvement