Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer is cancer that starts in the stomach. The most common type is called adenocarcinoma, which starts from one of the common cell types found in the lining of the stomach.
Symptoms can include:
- Abdominal pain
- Dark stools
- Difficulty swallowing, particularly difficulty that increases over time
- Excessive belching
- General decline in health
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Premature abdominal fullness after meals
- Unintentional weight loss
- Vague abdominal fullness
- Vomiting blood
- Weakness or fatigue
The Wake Forest Baptist Approach
Management of abdominal cancers focuses on preventive measures, early detection and treatment through numerous clinical trials developed locally, regionally and nationally. New drug and radiation therapies, and combined modality treatments, are being explored through these trials.
Our Research
An important part of our research is symptom management. Our department of Radiation Oncology is currently involved in nausea and vomiting studies to find a way to decrease side effects of treatment by giving new medication following radiation therapy for stomach cancers.