The key difference between gastritis and stomach cancer is that gastritis is the inflammation of the lining of the stomach, while stomach cancer is the abnormal growth of cells that starts in the stomach.
The stomach is an organ located in the upper left part of the abdomen. It is the first intra-abdominal part of the digestive tract. The stomach plays an instrumental role in digestion. There are certain medications that affect the stomach, causing medical conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, peptic ulcer, and stomach cancer.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Gastritis
3. What is Stomach Cancer
4. Similarities – Gastritis and Stomach Cancer
5. Gastritis vs Stomach Cancer in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Gastritis vs Stomach Cancer
What is Gastritis?
Gastritis is a medical condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the stomach. Weakness or injury in the mucus-lined barrier that protects the stomach wall is the main cause of gastritis. This allows digestive juices to damage and inflames the lining of the stomach. The risk factors for gastritis include bacterial infection, regular use of pain relievers, older age, excessive use of alcohol, stress, cancer treatment, autoimmune conditions, and other diseases such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, sarcoidosis, AIDS, and parasitic infection.
Figure 01: Gastritis
The signs and symptoms of this condition include gnawing or burning aches or pain in the upper abdomen, stomach pain that may become worse or better with eating, nausea, vomiting, and a feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen after taking food. The complications that result from this condition include stomach ulcers and stomach bleeding. Moreover, gastritis can be diagnosed through physical examinations and upper GI endoscopy. Furthermore, treatment options for gastritis include antibiotics, medicines to control stomach acids such as antacids, proton pump inhibitors or alginates, anti-inflammatory pain killers (ibuprofen or aspirin), and stopping the use of alcohol (if gastritis is caused by alcohol).
What is Stomach Cancer?
Stomach cancer is the abnormal growth of cells that starts in the stomach. Stomach cancer can happen in any part of the stomach. In most cases, it happens in the main part of the stomach body. Stomach cancer is due to changes in the DNA of the stomach cells. The risk factors for this condition include ongoing problems with stomach acid backing up to esophagus, a salty diet, a diet low in fruits and vegetables, infection in the stomach, gastritis, smoking, stomach polyps, a family history of stomach cancer, and genetic syndromes (Peutz-Jeghers syndrome) that increase risk of stomach cancer.
Figure 02: Stomach Cancer
The symptoms of this condition include trouble swallowing, pain in the belly, feeling bloated, feeling full after eating, not feeling hungry when one is expected to be hungry, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, tiredness, and black stool. The complications of stomach cancer include gastrointestinal bleeding, gastric perforation, and small bowel obstruction.
Stomach cancer can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood test, endoscopy, PET scan, CT scan, X-ray, and biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for stomach cancer include chemotherapy and surgery (gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgery).
What are the Similarities Between Gastritis and Stomach Cancer?
- Gastritis and stomach cancer are two medical conditions that affect the stomach.
- Gastritis is a risk factor for stomach cancer.
- Both conditions can cause similar symptoms like belly pain, a feeling of fullness after eating, etc.
- Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and endoscopy.
- They can be treated through medicines and surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Gastritis and Stomach Cancer?
Gastritis is the inflammation of the lining of the stomach, while stomach cancer is the abnormal growth of cells that starts in the stomach. Thus, this is the key difference between gastritis and stomach cancer. Furthermore, gastritis is caused by weakness or injury in the mucus-lined barrier that protects the stomach wall, while stomach cancer is caused by changes in the DNA of the stomach cells.
The below infographic presents the differences between gastritis and stomach cancer in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Gastritis vs Stomach Cancer
Gastritis and stomach cancer are two medical conditions that mainly affect the stomach. Both these medical conditions may present with similar symptoms. However, gastritis is the inflammation of the lining of the stomach, while stomach cancer is the abnormal growth of cells that starts in the stomach. So, this summarizes the difference between gastritis and stomach cancer.
Reference:
1. “Gastritis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Stomach Cancer.” NHS Choices, NHS.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Depiction of a person suffering from Gastritis” By Myupchar (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Pie chart of stomach cancer types by relative incidence” By Mikael Häggström- Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia