Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, is cancer of the lining of the stomach. Some studies of heavily exposed workers found more stomach cancer than expected, and IARC has found limited evidence that asbestos causes it. Asbestos trusts treat it as an "other cancer," which pays only in narrow circumstances.

Origin

Excess stomach cancers were reported in some asbestos worker cohorts from the 1960s onward, with swallowed fibers, including fibers coughed up from the lungs, proposed as the route. IARC's 2012 review judged the evidence for stomach cancer limited.

Significance in Asbestos Context

The leading causes of stomach cancer are long-term Helicobacter pylori infection, smoking, diets high in salted and preserved foods, and some inherited conditions. Rates have fallen in the United States over the past century. Because of these other causes and the limited asbestos evidence, causation is difficult to prove in court and depends on very heavy exposure and strong expert support. In the trust system, stomach cancer falls in the "other cancer" category, which generally requires evidence of asbestosis or bilateral pleural disease as well as exposure; without that, these claims are usually denied, and the rare approvals pay very little. Doctors diagnose it by endoscopy and biopsy, and most are adenocarcinomas. A person with stomach cancer and a history of heavy asbestos exposure should have chest imaging reviewed for asbestos-related lung or pleural disease, since that finding, not the stomach cancer itself, usually decides whether a trust claim is possible.

Example Sentence

The endoscopy biopsy confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma, and the oncologist noted his decades of work in an asbestos textile plant.

Related Terms

Adenocarcinoma, Endoscopy, IARC Classification, Asbestosis, Pleural Plaques, Bankruptcy Trust Claim, Specific Causation

Notes

• Ask your doctors to check for and record any signs of asbestos-related lung or pleural disease.
• Keep the endoscopy and pathology reports.
• Tell your lawyer whether you were ever treated for H. pylori or ulcers; it will come up.