ABSTRACT
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A more recent molecular classification system separates gastric tumors into four major subtypes: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated tumors, microsatellite instable (MSI) tumors, tumors with chromosomal instability (CIN), and genomically stable (GS) tumors. Risk factors for gastric cancer include diet, infection, advanced age, male gender, chronic atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, pernicious anemia, gastric adenomatous polyps, family history of gastric cancer, cigarette smoking, Menetrier disease, and familial adenomatous polyposis. Clinical symptoms of gastric cancer range from poor appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, vague discomfort in the abdomen, a sense of fullness in the upper abdomen after eating a small meal, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, swelling or fluid buildup in the abdomen, to low red blood cell count. Treatment options for gastric cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, chemoradiation, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy.
