Diagnosis of Advanced Gastric Cancer

Choi, Ju Young; Shim, Ki Nam

doi:2013.13.3.133

Korean J Helicobacter Up Gastrointest Res > Volume 13(3); 2013 > Article

Review

The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research 2013;13(3):133-137.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7704/kjhugr.2013.13.3.133 Published online September 10, 2013.

Diagnosis of Advanced Gastric Cancer

Ju Young Choi, Ki Nam Shim

Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. shimkn@ewha.ac.kr

진행성 위암의 진단

최주영, 심기남

이화여자대학교 의학전문대학원 내과학교실

Abstract

In Korea, gastric cancer is the most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer. But recently, as a consequence of more accurate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, mortality rate has decreased. The overall survival of patients with gastric cancer has increased markedly in Korea, due to the virtue of Korean National Cancer Screening Program. Nowadays, more than half of the patients are diagnosed as early gastric cancer. However, the survival of patients with advanced gastric carcinoma has not improved yet. Early detection of and treatment for AGC may improve outcomes, above and beyond the lead-time bias, in patients who have asymptomatic disease and a good performance status. Endoscopy ensures the most accurate diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma, while CT can be used to assess local and distant diseases. Endoscopy is the most useful method for securing the diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma and CT is also useful to assess local and distant diseases. PET imaging seems to have limited capacity detecting early gastric carcinomas. But PET/CT images of metastatic or advanced gastric adenocarcinoma can visualize primary tumors and also identify distant metastasis of solid organs with a high detection rate.

Key Words: Gastric cancer; Diagnosis; Endoscopy; Computed tomography; Positron-emission tomography