胃癌是在胃粘膜形成恶性肿瘤(癌)细胞的一种疾病。
胃是位于人体上腹部的一种J型器官。它是消化系统的一部分。消化系统主要处理人体所摄入食物中的营养成分(维生素、矿物质、碳水化合物、脂肪、蛋白质和水),并帮助将废弃物排出体外。食物要从咽喉部进入胃中,中间需经过一段由肌肉构成的空心管道,称为食道。经过部分消化的食物在离开胃后,进入小肠,然后再进入大肠。
胃壁由5层组织组成。从最内层到最外层,依次为:黏膜层、黏膜下层、肌层、浆膜下层(结缔组织)和浆膜层。胃癌起源于黏膜层,随着生长逐渐向外面的各层蔓延。
胃间质瘤起源于胃壁支持结缔组织,治疗方法与胃癌不同。欲了解更多信息,请见PDQ总结中有关胃肠道间质瘤治疗(成人)的内容。
如需更多关于胃癌的信息,请阅读以下PDQ总结。
年龄、饮食习惯以及胃部疾病能够影响患胃癌的风险
任何增加患病几率的因素叫做风险因素。有风险因素并不意味着你会得癌症,而没有风险因素也并不代表你不会得癌症。如果感觉有这样的风险,那就及早和医生咨询。胃癌的风险因素主要包括以下方面:
胃癌的病症包括消化不良、胃部疼痛不适。
这些体征和其他症状可能由胃癌或其他疾病引起。
在胃癌早期,可能出现以下一些症状:
胃癌中晚期可能发生以下一些症状:
如果有上述这些问题,请向医生咨询。
通过对胃和食管的检查来发现和诊断胃癌。
可能需要使用以下的一些检查以及程序:
可以通过检查组织样本来测量HER2基因以及HER2蛋白的量。如果HER2基因或HER2蛋白高于正常水平,这种癌症被称为HER2阳性。HER2阳性的胃癌可使用一种以HER2蛋白为靶点的单克隆抗体进行治疗。
还可以通过组织标本检查是否有幽门螺杆菌(H. pylori)感染。
影响预后(康复机会)以及治疗方案的因素。
预后(康复机会)以及治疗方案主要取决于以下方面:
胃癌如果能被及早地发现,那么康复机会就会较大。通常胃癌在诊断时已经发展到了中期以上。如果已经发展到了晚期,胃癌虽然仍可以治疗,但已经很难被治愈了。可以考虑参加一些改善治疗的临床试验。有关临床试验的信息可参见NCI网站的临床试验部分。
Gastric cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the lining of the stomach.
The stomach is a J-shaped organ in the upper abdomen. It is part of the digestive system, which processes nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water) in foods that are eaten and helps pass waste material out of the body. Food moves from the throat to the stomach through a hollow, muscular tube called the esophagus. After leaving the stomach, partly-digested food passes into the small intestine and then into the large intestine.
The wall of the stomach is made up of 5 layers of tissue. From the innermost layer to the outermost layer, the layers of the stomach wall are: mucosa, submucosa, muscle, subserosa (connective tissue), and serosa. Gastric cancer begins in the mucosa and spreads through the outer layers as it grows.
Stromal tumors of the stomach begin in supporting connective tissue and are treated differently from gastric cancer. See the PDQ summary on Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Treatment (Adult) for more information.
For more information about cancers of the stomach, see the following PDQ summaries:
Age, diet, and stomach disease can affect the risk of developing gastric cancer.
Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn't mean that you will not get cancer. Talk with your doctor if you think you may be at risk. Risk factors for gastric cancer include the following:
Symptoms of gastric cancer include indigestion and stomach discomfort or pain.
These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by gastric cancer or by other conditions.
In the early stages of gastric cancer, the following symptoms may occur:
In more advanced stages of gastric cancer, the following signs and symptoms may occur:
Check with your doctor if you have any of these problems.
Tests that examine the stomach and esophagus are used to detect (find) and diagnose gastric cancer.
The following tests and procedures may be used:
The sample of tissue may be checked to measure how many HER2 genes there are and how much HER2 protein is being made. If there are more HER2 genes or higher levels of HER2 protein than normal, the cancer is called HER2 positive. HER2-positive gastric cancer may be treated with a monoclonal antibody that targets the HER2 protein.
The sample of tissue may also be checked for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:
When gastric cancer is found very early, there is a better chance of recovery. Gastric cancer is often in an advanced stage when it is diagnosed. At later stages, gastric cancer can be treated but rarely can be cured. Taking part in one of the clinical trials being done to improve treatment should be considered. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
胃癌一旦确诊,就需要进行一些检查,来判断癌细胞是只存在于胃部,还是已经扩散到身体的其他部位。
通过检查来判断癌细胞是只存在于胃部,还是已经扩散到身体的其他部位,这一程序称为癌症分期。通过分期过程中所收集的信息来确定疾病所处的阶段。癌症分期对治疗计划的制定非常重要。
分期过程中可能需要进行以下的检查以及程序。
癌细胞在体内有三种扩散方式。
癌细胞可以通过组织、淋巴系统以及血液进行扩散。
癌细胞能够从始发部位扩散到身体的其他部位。
当癌细胞扩散到身体的其他部位,那被称作转移癌。癌细胞脱离最初发生的部位(原发肿瘤),通过淋巴系统或血液进行传播。
转移瘤和原发肿瘤属于同一种类型的肿瘤。例如,如果胃癌转移到肝脏,那么肝脏中的癌细胞其实是胃癌细胞。这种病是转移性胃癌,而并不是肝癌。
胃癌分期如下:
0期(原位癌)
在0期,在胃壁粘膜层(最内层)发现异常细胞。这些异常细胞可能变成癌细胞,并扩散到附近的正常组织。0期又称为原位癌。
Ⅰ期
Ⅰ期分为ⅠA期和ⅠB期。
Ⅱ期:
Ⅱ期胃癌分为ⅡA期和ⅡB期。
Ⅲ期
Ⅲ期胃癌分为ⅢA期、ⅢB期和ⅢC期。
Ⅳ期
在Ⅳ期,癌细胞已经扩散到人体的其他部位,如肺、肝脏、远处淋巴结和腹壁周围的组织。
After gastric cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the stomach or to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the stomach or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment.
The following tests and procedures may be used in the staging process:
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if gastric cancer spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the liver are actually gastric cancer cells. The disease is metastatic gastric cancer, not liver cancer.
The following stages are used for gastric cancer:
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)
In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the mucosa (innermost layer) of the stomach wall. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
Stage I
Stage I is divided into stages IA and IB.
Stage II
Stage II gastric cancer is divided into stages IIA and IIB.
Stage III
Stage III gastric cancer is divided into stages IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC.
Stage IV
In stage IV, cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, distant lymph nodes, and the tissue that lines the abdomen wall.
对于胃癌患者而言,有多种不同的治疗方法。
对于胃癌患者而言,有多种不同的治疗方法。有一些是标准治疗(目前正在使用的治疗方法),而有一些治疗方法则正在进行临床试验。临床试验是一种科学研究方法,其目的是改进当前的治疗方法,或者获取新的治疗方法的相关信息。当临床试验的结果显示新疗法优于标准疗法时,新的治疗方法可能会成为标准疗法。患者可能会考虑参与临床试验。一些临床试验只对尚未开始治疗的患者开放。
目前使用的七种标准治疗方法:
手术
对于不同分期的胃癌患者而言,手术是一种常用的治疗方法。可以使用以下类型的手术:
如果肿瘤造成了胃的堵塞,而常规手术不能够完全切除肿瘤,那么可以采取以下措施:
内镜下黏膜切除术
内镜下粘膜切除术是使用内窥镜切除消化道内壁的早期肿瘤和癌前病变,从而避免了手术。内窥镜是一种细长的管状仪器,带有灯和镜头,可观察消化道内的情况。通过它还可以使用工具来切除消化道内的增生物。
化疗
化疗是使用药物抑制癌细胞生长的治疗方法,药物可以杀死癌细胞或者阻止癌细胞分裂。当口服药物或者向血管或肌肉注射药物进行化疗时,药物能够进入到血流,然后到达全身的癌细胞(全身化疗)。当化疗药物直接注入到脑脊液中、器官中或体腔中,例如注入腹腔,药物会主要作用于这些区域的癌细胞(局部化疗)。进行化疗的方式主要取决于所治疗癌症的类型以及分期。
目前正在研究的一种治疗胃癌的局部化疗方式是腹腔化疗(IP)。在腹腔化疗中,抗癌药物通过一根细管直接送至腹腔(容纳腹部器官的空间)。
腹腔热灌注化疗(HIPEC)是一种正在研究的术中胃癌治疗方法。在外科医生尽可能多地切除肿瘤组织后,将加热的化疗药物直接送入腹腔。
更多信息见已批准的治疗胃癌的药物。
放射治疗
放射疗法是一种使用高能x射线或其他类型的辐射杀死癌细胞或抑制癌细胞生长的癌症治疗方法。有两种类型的放射治疗方法:
采用的放射治疗方式取决于癌症的类型和分期。体外放射疗法被用于治疗胃癌。
放化疗
放化疗疗法是综合化学治疗和放射治疗来提高两者的效果。手术后进行放化疗,能够降低癌症复发的风险,这被称作辅助治疗。而当前正在研究在手术前进行放化疗来缩小肿瘤(即新辅助治疗)。
靶向治疗
靶向治疗是一种利用药物或其他物质来识别和攻击特定癌细胞的治疗方法,这种治疗方法不会损害正常细胞。单克隆抗体和多激酶抑制剂是用于治疗胃癌的靶向治疗方法。
有不同类型的单克隆抗体药物:
曲妥珠单抗和雷莫芦单抗可用于治疗Ⅳ期胃癌和不能手术切除或复发的胃癌。
有不同类型的多激酶抑制剂药物:
更多信息见已批准的治疗胃癌的药物。
免疫治疗
免疫疗法是一种利用患者的免疫系统对抗癌症的治疗方法。由人体制造或实验室制造的物质被用来增强、引导或恢复人体对于癌症的天然防御力。这种癌症治疗方法也被称为生物疗法或生物治疗。
免疫检查点抑制剂治疗是一种免疫疗法:
更多信息见已批准的治疗胃癌的药物。
临床试验中正在验证新型的治疗方法。
关于临床试验的相关信息可以在NCI网站获得。
胃癌的治疗可能产生副作用。
如想了解癌症治疗的副作用的信息,请参阅副作用页面。
患者可能会考虑参与临床试验。
对于一些患者而言,参与临床试验或许是治疗的最佳选择。临床试验属于癌症研究过程的一部分。临床试验的目的是检验新型的治疗方法是否安全,是否有效果或者是否优于标准疗法。
许多目前的标准疗法都是基于早期的临床试验而确定的。参与临床试验的患者可能接受标准疗法或成为第一批接受新型疗法的人。
参与临床试验的患者也能够帮助改善未来癌症的治疗方法。即使临床试验没能够带来有效的新的治疗方法,他们也能够解决一些重要的问题,并帮助促进研究的发展。
患者可以在治疗前、治疗中或者治疗后参与临床试验。
一些临床试验只限于尚未进行过治疗的患者参加。而其他一些试验治疗则是针对癌症没有好转的患者。也有一些临床试验是用来测试新的方法,来阻止癌症的复发或减少癌症治疗的副作用。
临床试验正在全国许多地方进行。有关NCI支持的临床试验的信息,可在NCI的临床试验搜索网页上找到。其他组织支持的临床试验可以在ClinicalTrials.gov网站上找到。
可能需要后续的检查。
一些检查被重复进行,来诊断癌症或者明确癌症的分期。另一些检查被重复进行,来判断治疗的效果。测试的结果将会决定是否继续或改变或停止治疗。
在治疗结束后,需要不时进行一些检测。检测的结果将会显示出病情是否改善或癌症是否复发。这些检查通常被称作后续检查或复查。
还可能进行的其他检查:
There are different types of treatment for patients with gastric cancer.
Different types of treatments are available for patients with gastric cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Seven types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
Surgery is a common treatment of all stages of gastric cancer. The following types of surgery may be used:
If the tumor is blocking the stomach but the cancer cannot be completely removed by standard surgery, the following procedures may be used:
Endoscopic mucosal resection
Endoscopic mucosal resection is a procedure that uses an endoscope to remove early-stage cancer and precancerous growths from the lining of the digestive tract without surgery. An endoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also include tools to remove growths from the lining of the digestive tract.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
A type of regional chemotherapy being studied to treat gastric cancer is intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy. In IP chemotherapy, the anticancer drugs are carried directly into the peritoneal cavity (the space that contains the abdominal organs) through a thin tube.
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a treatment used during surgery that is being studied for gastric cancer. After the surgeon has removed as much tumor tissue as possible, warmed chemotherapy is sent directly into the peritoneal cavity.
See Drugs Approved for Stomach (Gastric) Cancer for more information.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy:
The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. External radiation therapy is used to treat gastric cancer.
Chemoradiation
Chemoradiation therapy combines chemotherapy and radiation therapy to increase the effects of both. Chemoradiation given after surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy. Chemoradiation given before surgery, to shrink the tumor (neoadjuvant therapy), is being studied.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells. Monoclonal antibodies and multikinase inhibitors are types of targeted therapy used in the treatment of gastric cancer.
There are different types of monoclonal antibody drugs:
Trastuzumab and ramucirumab are used in the treatment of stage IV gastric cancer and gastric cancer that cannot be removed by surgery or has recurred.
There are different types of multikinase inhibitor drugs:
See Drugs Approved for Stomach (Gastric) Cancer for more information.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or biologic therapy.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is a type of immunotherapy.
See Drugs Approved for Stomach (Gastric) Cancer for more information.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Treatment for gastric cancer may cause side effects.
For information about side effects caused by treatment for cancer, see our Side Effects page.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials supported by NCI can be found on NCI’s clinical trials search webpage. Clinical trials supported by other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.
Other tests may also be done:
想要了解下面列表中的治疗方法,请参阅治疗方案概述部分。
0期胃癌的治疗可能包括以下方式:
使用我们的临床试验搜索,您可以查找在NCI支持的癌症临床试验中,有哪些目前正在招募患者。您可以根据癌症类型、患者年龄和试验地点,搜索临床试验。您还可以获得有关临床试验的基本信息。
Ⅰ期胃癌的治疗可能包括以下方式:
使用我们的临床试验搜索,您可以查找在NCI支持的癌症临床试验中,有哪些目前正在招募患者。您可以根据癌症类型、患者年龄和试验地点,搜索临床试验。您还可以获得有关临床试验的基本信息。
Ⅱ期和Ⅲ期胃癌的治疗可能包括以下方式:
使用我们的临床试验搜索,您可以查找在NCI支持的癌症临床试验中,有哪些目前正在招募患者。您可以根据癌症类型、患者年龄和试验地点,搜索临床试验。您还可以获得有关临床试验的基本信息。
Ⅳ期胃癌,不能手术切除的胃癌,和复发性胃癌的治疗可能包括以下方式:
使用我们的临床试验搜索,您可以查找在NCI支持的癌症临床试验中,有哪些目前正在招募患者。您可以根据癌症类型、患者年龄和试验地点,搜索临床试验。您还可以获得有关临床试验的基本信息。
For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
Treatment of stage 0 may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
Treatment of stage I gastric cancer may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
Treatment of stage II gastric cancer and stage III gastric cancer may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
Treatment of stage IV gastric cancer, gastric cancer that cannot be removed by surgery, or recurrent gastric cancer may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
想要从国家癌症研究所了解更多关于胃癌的信息,请参阅下列内容:
想要从国家癌症研究所获得一般癌症信息和其他资源,请参阅下列内容:
For more information from the National Cancer Institute about gastric cancer, see the following:
For general cancer information and other resources from the National Cancer Institute, see the following:
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government’s center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of gastric cancer. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
PDQ is a registered trademark. The content of PDQ documents can be used freely as text. It cannot be identified as an NCI PDQ cancer information summary unless the whole summary is shown and it is updated regularly. However, a user would be allowed to write a sentence such as “NCI’s PDQ cancer information summary about breast cancer prevention states the risks in the following way: [include excerpt from the summary].”
The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:
PDQ® Adult Treatment Editorial Board. PDQ Gastric Cancer Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated
Images in this summary are used with permission of the author(s), artist, and/or publisher for use in the PDQ summaries only. If you want to use an image from a PDQ summary and you are not using the whole summary, you must get permission from the owner. It cannot be given by the National Cancer Institute. Information about using the images in this summary, along with many other images related to cancer can be found in Visuals Online. Visuals Online is a collection of more than 3,000 scientific images.
The information in these summaries should not be used to make decisions about insurance reimbursement. More information on insurance coverage is available on Cancer.gov on the Managing Cancer Care page.
More information about contacting us or receiving help with the Cancer.gov website can be found on our Contact Us for Help page. Questions can also be submitted to Cancer.gov through the website’s E-mail Us.
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government’s center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of gastric cancer. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
PDQ is a registered trademark. The content of PDQ documents can be used freely as text. It cannot be identified as an NCI PDQ cancer information summary unless the whole summary is shown and it is updated regularly. However, a user would be allowed to write a sentence such as “NCI’s PDQ cancer information summary about breast cancer prevention states the risks in the following way: [include excerpt from the summary].”
The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:
PDQ® Adult Treatment Editorial Board. PDQ Gastric Cancer Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated
Images in this summary are used with permission of the author(s), artist, and/or publisher for use in the PDQ summaries only. If you want to use an image from a PDQ summary and you are not using the whole summary, you must get permission from the owner. It cannot be given by the National Cancer Institute. Information about using the images in this summary, along with many other images related to cancer can be found in Visuals Online. Visuals Online is a collection of more than 3,000 scientific images.
The information in these summaries should not be used to make decisions about insurance reimbursement. More information on insurance coverage is available on Cancer.gov on the Managing Cancer Care page.
More information about contacting us or receiving help with the Cancer.gov website can be found on our Contact Us for Help page. Questions can also be submitted to Cancer.gov through the website’s E-mail Us.