Stomach Cancer (Gastric Carcinoma)

In gastric carcinoma – colloquially called stomach cancer – (synonyms: Gastrocarcinoma; leathery pouch stomach; gastric malignancy; signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach; ICD-10-GM C16.-: Malignant neoplasm of the stomach) is a malignant (malignant) neoplasm of the gastric mucosa.

It is the fifth most common malignant (malignant) disease worldwide.

In 90-95% of cases, the tumors are so-called adenocarcinomas, which means that they arise from the gland-forming tissue. Approximately 60% of tumors are located in the antrum (ampullary enlargement of the esophagus after it passes through the diaphragm and before it enters the cardia/gastric inlet) or pylorus (annular muscle that closes the gastric outlet toward the duodenum/duodenum), the posterior portions of the stomach. Approximately 70% of patients already have lymph node metastases (daughter tumors in the lymph nodes) at diagnosis.

Sex ratio: males to females is 2:1.

Peak incidence: The disease occurs predominantly after the age of 50. The median age of onset is 66 years in men and 70 years in women. The incidence (frequency of new cases) is about 13 cases per 100,000 population per year for men and about 7 cases per 100,000 population per year for women (in Western Europe). The incidence is particularly high in Japan (70-95/100,000 males, 27-40/100,000 females), China, Finland, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela. In Western Europe and the United States (7.5/100,000 males, 3.1/100,000 females), the incidence is decreasing.

Course and prognosis: The earlier gastric carcinoma is detected, the greater the chances of cure. According to the Laurén classification (see “Classification” of gastric carcinoma), different growth patterns can be distinguished, which also influence the prognosis. In more than 50% of cases, the disease is already in an advanced stage (T3 or T4) at diagnosis, which is associated with a rather poor prognosis.

The 5-year survival rate in the Western world is approximately 75% (early stage). In the advanced stage, the 5-year survival rate is only about 20-25%.The five-year survival rate in Germany is 33% in women and 30% in men.