Gastric cancer, or stomach cancer, develops when the cells that make up the stomach lining acquire genetic mutations and proliferate rapidly and uncontrollably. The National Cancer Institute reports that stomach cancer caused over 10,500 deaths and accounted for over 21,000 new cancer cases in the United States in 2009. Stomach cancer is staged according to the size and characteristics of the tumor, and advanced-stage stomach cancer can prove fatal.
Stage IIIB
Stage IIIB gastric cancer describes a cancer that has begun to grow towards the outside of the stomach. Patients with stage IIIB gastric cancer already have cancerous tumors in the inner lining of the stomach, with cancer growing out towards the outer layers of the stomach lining. In some cases, the cancer will have spread to the outside of the stomach, and in some cases, the cancer may not have spread completely through the stomach lining, according to the American Cancer Society. Stage IIIB gastric cancer cells have also spread to two or more lymph nodes--structures that help make up the immune system. If left undefeated or untreated, stage IIIB gastric cancer will progress and become more aggressive.
Stage IIIC
Stage IIIC gastric cancer is invasive cancer that begins to migrate to organs surrounding the stomach, reports the American Cancer Society. Stage IIIC gastric cancer cells typically spread to a number of lymph nodes surrounding the stomach, which can cause enlarged lymph nodes and pain. Some patients with stage IIIC gastric cancer have also developed small tumors in neighboring organs such as the liver, intestines or pancreas. Stage IIIC gastric cancer cells may also begin to grow towards major blood vessels around the stomach, but the cancer cells have not yet spread to distant sites throughout the body.
Stage IV
Stage IV gastric cancer is a metastatic cancer characterized by tumor growth in distant organs. Earlier-stage invasion of the lymph nodes allows cancer cells to enter the lymph vessels and travel throughout the body via the lymphatic system. Gastric cancer cells in blood vessels can also enter the bloodstream to travel around the body. Stage IV gastric cancer typically spreads to bone tissue or to the liver, brain or lungs. Gastric cancer may also metastasize to the ovaries in women to form a Krukenberg tumor, according to Penn State University. Tumor growth in these distant organs can lead to a number of deleterious symptoms and eventually lead to multiple organ failure as a result of cancer growth.
