Korean J Helicobacter Up Gastrointest Res.  2013 Sep;13(3):133-137. 10.7704/kjhugr.2013.13.3.133.

Diagnosis of Advanced Gastric Cancer

• Choi JY
• Shim KN

• KMID: 2249476
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7704/kjhugr.2013.13.3.133

Abstract

In Korea, gastric cancer is the most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer. But recently, as a consequence of more accurate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, mortality rate has decreased. The overall survival of patients with gastric cancer has increased markedly in Korea, due to the virtue of Korean National Cancer Screening Program. Nowadays, more than half of the patients are diagnosed as early gastric cancer. However, the survival of patients with advanced gastric carcinoma has not improved yet. Early detection of and treatment for AGC may improve outcomes, above and beyond the lead-time bias, in patients who have asymptomatic disease and a good performance status. Endoscopy ensures the most accurate diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma, while CT can be used to assess local and distant diseases. Endoscopy is the most useful method for securing the diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma and CT is also useful to assess local and distant diseases. PET imaging seems to have limited capacity detecting early gastric carcinomas. But PET/CT images of metastatic or advanced gastric adenocarcinoma can visualize primary tumors and also identify distant metastasis of solid organs with a high detection rate.

Keyword

Gastric cancer; Diagnosis; Endoscopy; Computed tomography; Positron-emission tomography

MeSH Terms

Adenocarcinoma
Asymptomatic Diseases
Cause of Death
Early Detection of Cancer
Endoscopy
Humans
Korea
Neoplasm Metastasis
Positron-Emission Tomography
Stomach Neoplasms
Virtues