Stomach Cancer Screening

"Stomach cancer screening" refers to testing people for the disease when they exhibit no symptoms of the cancer. At this point, routine screening for stomach cancer is not recommeded for the general population; however, stomach cancer screening may be recommended for some people who are at greater risk of developing the disease. While there is not yet a routine, effective screening test for stomach cancer, researchers have looked at blood tests, such as those measuring serum pepsinogen (PGI and PGII) levels, and procedures, such as upper endoscopy, as methods of screening for the disease. To date, the data have been inconclusive as to whether these screening tools affect the prognosis for people with stomach cancer.

An Overview of Stomach Cancer Screening

Stomach cancer screening involves looking for stomach cancer, even in people that do not have symptoms. At this point, an effective stomach cancer screening test has not been developed. There has, however, been a lot of research looking into certain tests and procedures that may be effective in finding stomach cancer early.
 
For purposes of this article, the term "stomach cancer" is used to refer to gastric adenocarcinoma (cancer of the glandular tissue in the stomach). Gastric adenocarcinoma is the most common type of stomach cancer. Other types of stomach cancer include lymphomas (cancers involving the lymphatic system) and sarcomas (cancers of the connective tissue, such as muscle, fat, or blood vessels).
 
(Click Lymphoma for information about a less common type of cancer that may develop in the stomach.)
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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