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2 - Pathology of gastric cancer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

By
Curtis R. Hall
Edited by
Richard M. Gore
Richard M. Gore
Affiliation:
Northwestern University Medical School, Illinois
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Summary

Introduction

The stomach is an eccentric tubular organ between the esophagus and the duodenum that functions as a food capacitor and, using hydrochloric acid and pepsin secreted by cells within it, contributes to food digestion. Like other components of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the stomach includes several layers of tissue, the two most relevant to a discussion of gastric neoplasia being the mucosa and the muscularis propria. The mucosa is subject to inflammatory processes, a familiarity with which aids in the understanding of the genesis of neoplasms arising from that layer of tissue. Neoplastic pathology of the stomach has been well reviewed in depth in recent years; the following will serve as a brief introduction to the gross and microscopic characteristics of gastric neoplasms and their precursors, with special consideration of features relevant to prognosis. Current genetics and molecular biology of these processes will also be considered.

Gross and microscopical anatomy

The wall of the stomach is formed by several layers of tissue (Figure 2.1). The mucosa is the innermost layer and is derived from the fetal endoderm. The character of the mucosa varies somewhat depending on its location within the stomach. The mucosa lining the gastric fundus and body is made up of densely packed test-tube-like units divided into two zones: the pit and the gland. The pit, populated by tall mucus cells, extends from the surface to the glandular compartment, which is lined almost exclusively by parietal and chief cells.

Type
Chapter
Information
Gastric Cancer , pp. 22 - 41
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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