The stomach is a J-shaped bag which receives food, stores it and releases it periodically into the intestine for digestion.

Function of the stomach When food enters the stomach from the oesophagus, it is broken down and digested into smaller molecules by gastric juices secreted in the stomach. Cancer of the stomach is the 5th most common cancer in men and the 7th most common cancer in women in our local population. * If the cancer is detected early, it is potentially curable.

What is stomach cancer?

The stomach like the rest of the body is made up of billions of little units called cells. The cells have a specific function and they divide in an orderly manner. 

However, when these cells lose control of their division, a mass of tissue called a tumour is formed. A tumour may be benign (non- cancerous) if it does not have the potential to spread and invade other tissues, or malignant (cancerous) if it invades other neighboring tissues and organs. When they invade lymph channels or the blood stream, these cancer cells break away to form new cancers in other tissues and organs. 

Normal Cells

Abnormal Cells

* Singapore Cancer Registry, Interim Report, 2001-2005