Stages Of Stomach Cancer
After making a cancer diagnosis, physicians conduct a battery of tests to determine the cancer’s stage and extent. Five phases of stomach cancer have been distinguished.
Phase 0:
This is the initial phase of malignancy, also known as carcinoma in situ. It is the stage in which abnormal cells are identified in the mucosa, the uppermost layer of the gastrointestinal lining. These aberrant cells are the root cause of cancer. There is a minuscule possibility of detecting cancer at this stage.
Phase I:
This stage is further subdivided into IA and IB based on the formation and invasion of the malignancy into neighboring layers.
IA: If the malignancy has reached the submucosa, which is the layer beneath the mucosa, this stage is diagnosed.
IB: This stage is identified when the cancer has spread through the submucosa and reached one or two lymph nodes close to the tumor, or when it has reached the Muscularis Propia layer.
Phase 2:
This is a locally advanced form of malignancy. In this stage, the cancer has progressed beyond the inner layer, mucosa, and supporting layer to the outer layer of the stomach and the lymph nodes adjacent. This stage is also distinguished by the invasion of the serosa, the outermost membrane of the stomach. The cancer has spread to approximately six lymph nodes of the stomach, but has not yet spread to the lymph nodes of the adjacent organ.
Phase 3:
The cancer has already invaded the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis propria, and serosa layers. The tumor cells have now spread to adjacent organs, including the spleen, liver, diaphragm, etc. There is involvement of seven lymph nodes adjacent.
Phase 4:
This stage of cancer is significantly more difficult to treat than earlier stages. The cancer has spread to distant portions of the body at this stage. It is the cancer’s metastatic form. The malignancy has spread to lymph nodes of various distant organs.
