Anatomy of the Stomach

The stomach is the body part that is most related to stomach (or gastric) cancer. It is a J-shaped muscular organ that is part of the digestive system. Located just below the rib cage on the left side of the body, it is connected to the esophagus (a tube linked to the throat) at a point called the gastroesophageal junction. Once chewed and swallowed, your food travels down the throat, through the esophagus and straight into the stomach, where it is broken down and partially digested. Subsequently, the partially digested food is emptied into the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum.

This information about the stomach can be effective when communicating with medical professionals and asking informed questions, subsequently understanding your potential diagnosis and treatment options.

The stomach comprises five parts:

• Cardia: The first part of the stomach that is closest to the esophagus
• Fundus: The upper region of the stomach adjacent to the cardia
• Body (or corpus): The main part of the organ
• Antrum: The lower part of the stomach, where food is mixed with gastric acid and digestive enzymes
• Pylorus: The last region of the stomach that serves as a valve controlling the emptying of the stomach’s contents into the duodenum (small intestine)

The cardia, fundus and body make up the proximal stomach, while the antrum and pylorus form the distal stomach.

Meanwhile, the wall of the stomach is similarly made up of five layers:

• The mucosa, which contains mucus-producing cells, is the innermost layer of the stomach wall. It comprises three parts: (1) the epithelial cells, (2) a layer of connective tissue called the lamina propria, and (3) the muscularis mucosae, a thin layer of muscle. Gastric acid and digestive enzymes are made in the mucosa.
• The submucosa is a thin layer of dense and irregular connective tissue supporting the mucosa. It consists of large blood vessels, lymphatics and nerves.
• Next, the muscularis propria is a thick layer of smooth muscle responsible for movement and mixing of the stomach’s contents, namely food and gastric juices.
• The two outermost layers, the subserosa and serosa, wrap around the stomach to hold the organ together.