The stomach and lymphatic system

The stomach is a stretchy, muscular bag which stores food and helps to break it down (digestion). Stomach cancer can sometimes spread to the lymph nodes close to the stomach.

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The stomach

The stomach is a stretchy, muscular bag that stores food and helps break it down through digestion. It is in the upper left-hand side of the tummy area (abdomen).

The upper part of the stomach joins to the oesophagus. The oesophagus is a muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The lower part of the stomach joins to the first part of the small bowel (the duodenum). The pancreas, gallbladder and liver are close to the stomach. They produce juices and enzymes (chemicals) that help digest food.

After you have chewed and swallowed your food, it passes down the oesophagus to the stomach. The stomach churns up food and mixes it with acid and enzymes. This breaks the food down into much smaller pieces. This is how our bodies get the nutrients needed to give us energy and keep us healthy.

The stomach muscles squeeze together (contract) so that semi-solid food passes from the stomach into the small bowel. Digestive juices from the stomach and pancreas help the small bowel take in important substances from food. These include vitamin B12, iron and calcium.

The position of the stomach

The oesophagus passes behind the liver and joins the mouth to the stomach, just below the chest. Below the stomach is the small bowel.
Image: The illustration shows the stomach and surrounding organs. The oesophagus passes behind the liver and joins the mouth to the stomach, just below the chest. The place where it joins is called the gastro-oesophageal junction. Below the stomach is the small bowel. Also shown is the liver, which sits on the right-hand side of the tummy. The pancreas sits below and behind the stomach. Just above the pancreas and lower end of the stomach is the gall bladder.

Related pages

The stomach wall

The wall of the stomach has 4 layers:

  1. The mucosa is the inner layer. It may be called the stomach lining. It contains glands that produce enzymes and acid to help digest food.
  2. The submucosa attaches the mucosa to the muscularis.
  3. The muscularis is a layer of muscle. It squeezes the stomach walls together to help break up the food and move partly digested food into the small bowel.
  4. The serosa is a strong outer layer that covers the stomach.

The stomach wall

An enlarged cross-section of the stomach shows the 4 layers of the stomach wall. These layers are called the mucosa, the submucosa, the muscularis and the serosa.
Image: The illustration shows the gullet (oesophagus) coming down into the stomach. The small intestine runs from the bottom of the stomach to the bottom of the illustration. On the right of the illustration is an enlarged cross section of the stomach wall. This shows the 4 layers of the stomach wall. The mucosa is to the left, on the inside of the stomach. This is shown as a ridged layer made up of small egg-shaped glands that produce enzymes. To the right of the mucosa is the submucosa. To the right of this is the muscle layer. Furthest to the right is the outer layer called the serosa. The 3 outer layers are shown in different colours and textures.

The lymphatic system

The lymphatic system helps protect us from infection and disease. It is made up of fine tubes called lymphatic vessels. These vessels connect to groups of small lymph nodes throughout the body. The lymphatic system drains lymph fluid from the tissues of the body before returning it to the blood.

Lymph nodes and stomach cancer

Stomach cancer can sometimes spread to the lymph nodes close to the stomach or other parts of the body. If you have surgery to remove stomach cancer, your surgeon will usually remove some lymph nodes to check for cancer cells.

About our information

This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer.

  • References

    Below is a sample of the sources used in our stomach cancer information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at informationproductionteam@macmillan.org.uk


    Lordick F, Carneiro S, Cascinu T, Fleitas K, Haustermans G, Piessen A, et al. Gastric cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology. 2022;33(10): 1005–1020. Available from www.doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2022.07.004 [accessed July 2023].


    National Institute for Care and Health Excellence. Oesophago-gastric cancer: assessment and management in adults NICE guideline [NG83]. 2018. Available from www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng83 [accessed July 2023].

Cancer Information Development team

Author

Dr Chris Jones

Reviewer

Speciality Registrar in Clinical Oncologist and Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Oncology

Date reviewed

Reviewed: 01 November 2024
|
Next review: 01 November 2027
Trusted Information Creator - Patient Information Forum
Trusted Information Creator - Patient Information Forum

Our cancer information meets the PIF TICK quality mark.

This means it is easy to use, up-to-date and based on the latest evidence. Learn more about how we produce our information.

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We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.


We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

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We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.


You can read more about how we produce our information here.

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