Page last updated: April 2026
The information on this webpage was adapted from Understanding Stomach Cancer - A guide for people with cancer, their families and friends (2026 edition). This webpage was last updated in April 2026.
Expert content reviewers:
This information was developed with the help of a range of health professionals and people affected by stomach cancer:
- Prof David I Watson, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Flinders University, and Senior Consultant Surgeon, Oesophago-Gastric Surgery Unit, Flinders Medical Centre, SA
- Prof Bryan Burmeister, Senior Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare Fraser Coast and Hervey Bay Hospital, QLD
- Dr Natalie Collier, Radiation Oncologist, Wollongong Hospital, NSW
- A/Prof Melissa Eastgate, A/Executive Director, Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD
- Brett Hall, Consumer
- Natalie Lalor, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria
- Chris Menzies, Upper GI Cancer Nurse Consultant, Flinders Medical Centre and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA
- Stefanie Simnadis, Clinical Dietitian, St John of God Subiaco Hospital, WA
- Prof Rajvinder Singh, Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide, and Director, Gastroenterology Department and Head of Endoscopy, Lyell McEwin Hospital, SA.
What is stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer develops when cells in any part of the stomach grow and divide in an abnormal way. Tumours can begin anywhere in the stomach, although most start in the stomach’s inner lining (mucosa).
This type of cancer is called adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastric cancer. Stomach cancer can spread to nearby lymph nodes or to other parts of the body, such as the liver and lungs.
It may also spread to the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum).
Other types of cancer can start in the stomach. These include small cell carcinomas, lymphomas, neuroendocrine tumours and gastrointestinal stromal tumours.
These types of cancer aren’t discussed on this page and their treatment may be different. Call Cancer Council 13 11 20 for more information.
About the stomach
The stomach is a hollow, muscular organ, which is shaped like a pouch. It is part of the digestive system, which helps your body break down food and turn it into energy.
The top of the stomach connects to the end of the oesophagus (food pipe). The bottom of the stomach connects to the start of the small bowel.
When you eat, food goes into your stomach. The stomach uses its own digestive juices and muscle movements to break the food down into a thick liquid. This liquid moves into the small bowel, where nutrients are absorbed into your blood.
The parts of the food your body does not need go into the large bowel and leave the body as waste known as faeces (also called stools or poo).
Anatomy of the stomach
Layers of tissue in the stomach wall
- mucosa made up of glandular cells (column-shaped cells), makes fluids called enzymes to help break down food, and mucus to protect the stomach lining
- submucosa provides blood and nutrients to the stomach
- muscularis externa (muscle layer) produces contractions to help break down food and push it into the small bowel
- serosa (outer layer) a smooth membrane that surrounds the stomach
Your guide to best cancer care
A lot can happen in a hurry when you’re diagnosed with cancer. The guide to best cancer care for oesophagogastric cancer can help you make sense of what should happen.
It will help you with what questions to ask your health professionals to make sure you receive the best care at every step.
Read the guide
Symptoms
Stomach cancer may not cause symptoms in the early stages. If there are symptoms, they can include:
- unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
- difficulty swallowing
- indigestion – pain or burning feeling in the abdomen (heartburn), frequent burping, or stomach acid coming back up into the oesophagus (reflux)
- feeling sick and/or vomiting more often, with no apparent cause
- abdominal (belly) pain
- feeling full after eating, even a small amount
- swelling of the abdomen or feeling bloated
- unexplained tiredness
- vomit that has blood in it
- black or bloody faeces (stools or poo).
Not everyone with these symptoms has stomach cancer. If you have ongoing symptoms, see your general practitioner (GP).
How common is stomach cancer?
About 2740 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer in Australia each year. Men are almost twice as likely as women to be diagnosed with stomach cancer.
It is more common in people over 60, but it can occur at any age.
Stomach cancer statistics
Risk factors
The exact causes of stomach cancer are not known. Below are some risk factors, but most people with these risk factors do not develop stomach cancer:
- being over 60 years
- infection of the stomach with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
- smoking tobacco
- low red blood cell levels related to a condition called pernicious anaemia
- a family history of stomach cancer
- having an inherited genetic condition such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), Lynch syndrome, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC), or gastric adenocarcinoma and proximal polyposis of the stomach (GAPPS)
- inflammation of the stomach (chronic gastritis)
- being overweight or obese
- drinking alcohol
- eating a diet high in salt-preserved foods (e.g. processed meats, pickled vegetables)
- having part of the stomach removed for a non-cancerous condition.
Not everyone with these symptoms has stomach cancer. If you have ongoing symptoms, see your general practitioner (GP).
Diagnosis
If your GP suspects that you have stomach cancer, they will examine you, arrange initial tests and refer you to a specialist such as a gastroenterologist.
Endoscopy and biopsy
The main tests are endoscopy and biopsy. These tests are often done at the same time. An endoscopy (also called a gastroscopy or upper endoscopy) lets your doctor look inside your stomach and small bowel.
It is usually done as day surgery. Before the test, you will probably need to fast (not eat or drink) for about six hours. You will usually have a light sedation to make you sleepy.
A general anaesthetic is only needed in a small number of cases.
Once the sedative has taken effect, a long, flexible tube with a light and small camera on the end (endoscope) will be passed into your mouth, down your throat and oesophagus, and into your stomach and small bowel.
If the doctor sees anything unusual during the endoscopy, they may take a small sample of tissue. This is called a biopsy. A pathologist will check the sample under a microscope to look for cancer. The endoscopy takes about 10 minutes.
You might feel sleepy after, so someone will need to take you home. You may also have a sore throat or feel bloated for a short time.
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
You may have an EUS at the same time as a standard endoscopy. The doctor will use an endoscope with an ultrasound probe on the tip or with a built-in ultrasound device.
The probe releases soundwaves that echo when they bounce off anything solid, such as an organ or tumour. This test helps work out whether the cancer has spread into the oesophageal or stomach wall, nearby tissues or lymph nodes.
During the EUS, your doctor may use the ultrasound to guide a needle into the area they want to look at and take tissue samples.
Further tests
If a biopsy shows you have stomach cancer, you may have more tests to see if the cancer has spread. This is called staging (see below). Some tests may be repeated during or after treatment to check your health and how well treatment is working.
Sometimes an endoscopic resection is used to help stage stomach cancer, but it can also be a treatment for earlystage stomach cancer (see above).
| Test |
What is it |
Why it's done
|
What to expect |
| blood test |
A sample of your blood is checked.
|
Checks your general health, checks for low red blood cell count (anaemia), and sees how your liver and kidneys are working.
|
Quick test, usually a small needle in your arm.
|
| imaging scan |
Pictures of the inside of your body using CT, MRI or PET–CT scans.
|
Checks if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body.
|
You’ll lie still on a table. For some scans, a liquid dye (contrast) is injected into a vein.
|
| laparoscopy |
Keyhole surgery using a thin tube with a camera.
|
Checks if cancer has spread to the stomach’s outer layer or the abdomen lining.
|
Done under general anaesthetic. The tube is inserted through small cuts in your belly. Afterwards, you may feel bloated or have shoulder pain.
|
| genomic testing |
Special tests on tissue removed during surgery.
|
Finds gene changes (mutations) in cancer cells. This helps decide which treatments may work best.
|
Uses tissue already taken during surgery or biopsy. No extra procedure is needed.
|
Staging
Working out how far the cancer has spread is called staging. It helps your doctors recommend the best treatment for you. The TNM staging system is used to stage stomach cancer. TNM stands for “tumour, node, metastasis”.
T shows how big the tumour is (T1–T4), N shows if lymph nodes have cancer (N0–N3), and M shows if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Lower numbers mean the cancer is less advanced.
The TNM scores are combined to work out the overall stage of the cancer, from stage 1 to stage 4. Ask your doctor to explain what the stage of the cancer means for you. The stages of stomach cancer are:
- Stage 1 – early cancer; tumours only in the stomach
- Stages 2-3 – locally advanced cancer; tumour has spread deeper into the stomach wall and to nearby lymph nodes
- Stage 4 – metastatic or advanced cancer; tumours have spread beyond the stomach wall to nearby parts of the body or lymph nodes, or to more distant lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
Understanding Stomach Cancer
Download our Understanding Stomach Cancer fact sheet to learn more.
Download now