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Stomach (Gastric) Cancer

Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, is the growth of abnormal cells in the lining and wall of the stomach. The wall of the stomach is made up of 3 layers of tissue: the mucosal (innermost) layer, the muscularis (middle) layer, and the serosal (outermost) layer. Gastric cancer begins in the cells lining the mucosal layer and spreads through the outer layers as it grows.

Learn more on the Stomach Cancer webpage, part of the Health Library on the UofMHealth.org website.

Metastatic or Recurring Stomach Cancer: When stomach cancer spreads from the place where it first started to another place in the body, the tumor formed by these metastatic cancer cells is called a metastatic tumor or a metastasis. The process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body is also called metastasis.

Learn more by reading What You Need to Know About™ Stomach Cancer on the National Cancer Institute's website.

Our program is staffed by a team of experts in gastroenterology, medical oncology, surgery, nuclear medicine, pathology, radiation oncology, radiology, social work and nursing.

Patient Care and Treatment
Stomach Cancer (also known as gastric cancer) is treated in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Clinic at the University of Michigan. Our clinic has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers as part of a national program by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. That means we offer a comprehensive inpatient cancer care program, delivered by a multidisciplinary team with subspecialty training and distinguished clinical expertise in treating complex and rare subtypes of cancer.

Research and innovation
Our research program is just as collaborative as our clinical program. By involving more than 40 researchers from 18 departments we have made significant strides in researching gastrointestinal cancers. Our goal has been focused upon what biolgic, genetic and/or molecular processes have to take place to give rise to the development of gastrointestinal cancer. We are dedicated to moving our research from the laboratory to the bedside and, to that end, offer a number of clinical trials.

Support
Since our program is part of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, our patients have access to Patient/Family Support Services. To fully understand what this means, please take time to visit the For Cancer Center Patients area of this website. We outline the services available to our patients at every point in their care.

Make an appointment/referral

To make an appointment, please contact 734-647-8902. If you would like to refer a patient, please contact our M-Line service: 800-962-3555. For more information, visit our Make an Appointment web page.

Still have questions?

The nurses at Cancer AnswerLine™ have answers. Call 1-800-865-1125 and you'll get a personal response from one of our registered nurses, who have years of experience in caring for people with cancer.

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