Stomach cancer refers to an unrestrained growth of abnormal tissues. A malignancy of the stomach lining also occurs when a person suffers from stomach cancer. One of the common causes of this type of malignancy is the infection that is caused by the bacteria that is known as helicobacter pylori. The tumors are known as adenocarcinoma, which is a very common kind of cancer of the stomach.
This article discusses each major type of stomach cancer:
1. Adenocarcinoma
Adenocarcinoma is a cancer that develops from the tissues that line the epithelial layer of the skin or the internal organs. There are no initial symptoms or signs of stomach cancer, which can help in diagnosis. Therefore, this fatal condition gets diagnosed at a later stage. There are many types of stomach cancers, out of which around 90-95 percent are adenocarcinomas. Such cancers develop from secretory cells that are present in the lining of the stomach that produces mucus as well as remaining fluids. Such a layer is known as mucosa.
There are many risk factors for such a type of malignancy, with the main ones being smoking, pernicious anemia, polyps, inflammation, family history, and diet. This type of cancer mostly occurs in men who are above the age of forty. Inhabitants of South America, Asia, and eastern Europe are the ones who are highly prone to develop the condition.
2. Lymphomas
Lymphomas may develop from the tissues of the immune system present in the stomach. They account for around four percent of stomach cancers. Several types of lymphomas can be observed in patients. The rarest of all the types of stomach cancers are gastrointestinal tumors. They arise in specialized cells that are known as interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). These cells belong to the autonomic nervous system.
Lymphoma in the stomach accounts for a very small proportion of stomach cancer. This type of stomach cancer develops due to cancerous cells that get formed in the lymphatic tissues of the immune system. At times, these cells can be found in the walls of the stomach.
3. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a rare type of tumor that gets formed in the connective tissue or the muscle of the wall of the stomach. A few of these types of tumors may be non-cancerous. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are also found in several regions of the digestive tract.
Another type of stomach cancer that is rare are neuroendocrine tumors. Here, the cells that are cancerous come together to form tumors in the cells that produce the hormones that are mostly found in the digestive tract of the stomach.
