BACKGROUND: About 21,860 new cases of stomach cancer were diagnosed in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society. About 11,550 people will die of this disease. Stomach cancer is more common in older populations. Two-thirds of the people found to have stomach cancer are older than age 65. Some of the risk factors for stomach cancer include being male, smoking, alcohol abuse and ethnicity. The rate of stomach cancer is higher in Hispanics and African Americans than in non-Hispanic whites. The highest rates are seen in Asian/Pacific Islanders. Some doctors believe the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, a common cause of stomach ulcers, is a major contributor to stomach cancer. Also, the Epstein Barr virus, the virus that causes mono, has been found in some stomach cancers. Scientists believe most of the causes of stomach cancer are things that happen after birth. This cancer is not usually hereditary.

GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMORS: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are a rare subset of stomach cancer. Researchers believe they form from cells in the wall of the stomach called interstitial cells of Cajal. These cancers can be found anywhere in the intestinal tract. About 5,000 people will be diagnosed with this type of stomach cancer each year.

TREATMENT: Treatment for GIST includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The drug Gleevec, originally used to treat patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, has also been useful in the treatment of this disease. Gleevec, or imatinib mesylate, blocks the tumor cells' ability to grow and divide. However, Gleevec is not a long-term solution for cancers. The affects seem to wear off after about two years.

NEW TREATMENT: Doctors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass., are testing the effectiveness of a new drug called SUTENT/SU11248 (sunitinib malate). The drug more than doubled survival and significantly reduced tumor growth and spread in a Phase III study. George Demitri, M.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says the drug works by telling the body to turn off the growth of blood vessels to the tumor. "It actually shuts off those signals, so the body doesn't feed those cancers," says Dr. Demitri. Results from a study of more than 300 GIST patients resistant to or intolerant of the standard treatment of Gleevec, showed Sutent significantly prolonged the time to tumor progression. It took a little more than six months for tumors to start growing again with Sutent. It took just one and a half months for tumors to start growing again for patients in the control groups. Sutent also reduced the risk of death by about 50 percent compared to placebo. This new drug may be used to treat other cancers in the future. It has been tested on breast cancer and kidney cancer. The FDA has not yet approved this drug for widespread use, as of December, 2005.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute http://www.dfci.org/