Stomach cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow in the stomach. Cancer occurs when cells in the body divide without control or order. Normally, cells divide in a regulated manner. If cells keep dividing uncontrollably when new cells are not needed, a mass of tissue forms, called a growth or tumor. Stomach cancer can develop in any part of the stomach and spread to other organs through tumor growth, the bloodstream, or the lymphatic system.
There are five layers of tissue in the stomach. The innermost layer is called the mucosa and is where approximately 90% to 95% of stomach cancer begins. This type of tumor is called an adenocarcinoma.
It is believed that stomach cancer takes several years to develop. Many precancerous changes that rarely cause symptoms occur before stomach cancer develops. This is why most cases of stomach cancer are undetected until the later stages of the disease.
Moore Regional Hospital offers chemotherapy, oral chemotherapy, radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, surgery and support for patients with digestive and stomach cancer.
We are experts in cancer treatment servicing the Pinehurst, Sanford, Raeford, Laurinburg, Lumberton, Troy, and Rockingham regions of NC and beyond.