Understanding Stage 4 Stomach Cancer: Symptoms, Causes & Prognosis

The stomach is the organ in the human body that is responsible for the initial digestion and breakdown of food through stomach juices and the squeezing of the stomach's walls. Stomach or gastric cancer occurs when a tumor grows within the stomach. It's classified by stages.

Significance

• There are three different conditions that can lead to a Stage 4 or Last Stage diagnosis of stomach cancer.

Condition 1

• If the tumor has grown through all of the layers of the stomach and affected at least one of the small glands surrounding the stomach, called lymph nodes, it is considered Stage 4 cancer.

Condition 2

• Regardless of how many of the stomach's layers the cancer has spread through, if it involves more than 15 lymph nodes, it is considered Stage 4 cancer.

Condition 3

• If stomach cancer has spread to any other organs of the body, such as the pancreas, liver, or lungs, it is considered Stage 4 cancer.

Treatment

• Stage 4 stomach cancer is typically not treatable by surgery alone. Normally, chemotherapy is utilized either before or after surgery to remove the tumor and may also be paired with radiation.