How is stomach cancer diagnosed and assessed?
Initial assessment and gastroscopy
If a doctor suspects that you may have stomach cancer, he or she may examine you. The examination is often normal, especially if the cancer is at an early stage. Therefore, a gastroscopy (endoscopy) is usually arranged.
A gastroscope (endoscope) is a thin, flexible, telescope. It is passed through the mouth, into the oesophagus and down towards the stomach and duodenum. The endoscope contains fibre optic channels which allows light to shine down so the doctor or nurse can see inside your stomach and duodenum. See separate leaflet called 'Gastroscopy (Endoscopy)' for more details.
Biopsy - to confirm the diagnosis
A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under the microscope to look for abnormal cells. When you have a gastroscopy, if anything abnormal is seen then the doctor or nurse can take a biopsy. This is done by passing a thin grabbing instrument down a side channel of the gastroscope. It can take two weeks for the biopsy results.
Assessing the extent and spread
If you are confirmed to have stomach cancer, further tests may be done to assess if it has spread. For example, a barium meal X-ray, a CT scan, an MRI scan, an ultrasound scan, laparoscopy or other tests. (See separate leaflets which describe each of these tests in more detail.) This assessment is called 'staging' of the cancer.
The aim of staging is to find out:
- How much the tumour in the stomach has grown, and whether it has grown partially or fully through the wall of the stomach.
- Whether the cancer has spread to local lymph nodes.
- Whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body (metastasised).
By finding out the stage of the cancer it helps doctors to advise on the best treatment options. It also gives a reasonable indication of outlook (prognosis). (See separate leaflet called 'Staging and Grading Cancer ' for more details.)
By Rob Mansfield
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