Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (731 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
An organ of digestion situated in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen between the termination of the esophagus and the beginning of the duodenum.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Stomachs.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Upper Gastrointestinal Tract
- Narrower topics
- Cardia; Esophagogastric Junction; Gastric Fundus; Gastric Mucosa; Gastric Stump; Pyloric Antrum; Pylorus
- See also
- Gastrectomy; Gastroenterostomy; Gastroscopy; Gastrostomy; Gastroplasty; Fundoplication
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 135,677 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Stomach” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 11,101 of them (8.2%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 81,724 records.
Reviews account for 9,994 records (7.4%) and meta-analyses for 520. Randomized controlled trials number 2,999 (2.2%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 81,724 |
| 2000-2009 | 21,578 |
| 2010-2019 | 21,274 |
| 2020 onward | 11,101 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 9,994 | 7.4% |
| Meta-analyses | 520 | 0.4% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 2,999 | 2.2% |
Method: PubMed query "Stomach"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms independently modulate motor corticospinal excitability in humans | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 20 | cc by PMID 41223212 · DOI · PMC12629470 |
| First-line zolbetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 and nivolumab in unresectable CLDN18.2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a phase 2 trial | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 14 | cc by PMID 41840238 · DOI · PMC13278966 |
| AI-Assisted Detection of Early Gastric Cancer via Visualization of Mucosal Acidity Compromise During Endoscopy | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 10 | cc by PMID 41114471 · DOI · PMC12697849 |
Cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms independently modulate motor corticospinal excitability in humans [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Interoception refers to the brain's sensing of internal body state and encompasses various bodily systems, notably the cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms.
- Closing excerpt
- Altogether, our results call for refined specifications of the frameworks offering a functional or clinical interpretation of viscera-brain coupling taking into account both independent mechanisms and individual interoceptive profiles.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (272 words)
Interoception refers to the brain's sensing of internal body state and encompasses various bodily systems, notably the cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms. Beyond their roles in physiological regulation and emotional states, each of these visceral rhythms has been shown to influence brain activity and cognition, prompting for the development of various interpretative functional frameworks. However, both experimental data and functional hypothesis leave it unclear whether and how each visceral rhythm acts simultaneously and independently on brain activity. Here, we address this question by measuring in human participants how the corticospinal excitability of the motor system varies with the phase of each of the three visceral rhythms. We applied single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the hand region in primary motor cortex to elicit Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs), whose amplitude reflects corticospinal excitability, and tested whether MEP amplitude depends on the phase of the simultaneously measured cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms. All three visceral rhythms were coupled to motor excitability with similar effect sizes at the group level. However, we found no relation between coupling strengths: participants displaying high coupling with one organ did not necessarily display high coupling to the other organs. These results indicate that independent mechanisms could underly the coupling between the cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms and motor excitability. We further introduce the concept of individual interoceptive profiles and show that such interoceptive profiles obtained from objective coupling strength measures were not explained by self-reported awareness of the organ. Altogether, our results call for refined specifications of the frameworks offering a functional or clinical interpretation of viscera-brain coupling taking into account both independent mechanisms and individual interoceptive profiles.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41223212 · DOI · PMC12629470
First-line zolbetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 and nivolumab in unresectable CLDN18.2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a phase 2 trial [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- There is an unmet need for effective and safe treatments for patients with metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction (mG/GEJ) adenocarcinoma.
- Closing excerpt
- gov: NCT03505320 .
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (259 words)
There is an unmet need for effective and safe treatments for patients with metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction (mG/GEJ) adenocarcinoma. Targeting claudin 18 isoform 2 (CLDN18.2) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), represents a promising strategy. Zolbetuximab, a CLDN18.2-targeting antibody, plus chemotherapy improved survival outcomes in patients with CLDN18.2-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative mG/GEJ adenocarcinoma. Cohort 4 of the global, open-label, phase 2 ILUSTRO study examined first-line zolbetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 and nivolumab (a PD-L1 inhibitor). Here we report results from cohorts 4A (safety lead-in phase) and 4B (expansion phase). The primary endpoint of ILUSTRO was specific to cohort 1 and was previously published; the main efficacy endpoint of interest for cohort 4 was progression-free survival (PFS), as assessed by the investigators per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. At data cutoff (2 September 2025) for this final analysis, 77 patients were enrolled in 4A + 4B (85.5% with CLDN18.2-high tumors). Cohort 4B median follow-up was 11.5 months, and median PFS (95% confidence interval (CI)) was 14.8 months (8.3-not estimable) overall (n = 71) and 18.0 months (11.1-not estimable) in patients with CLDN18.2-high tumors (n = 59). Objective response rate (measurable disease; 95% CI) was 62.1% (48.4-74.5) in 4B overall (n = 58) and 68.1% (52.9-80.9) in CLDN18.2-high (n = 47). In 4A + 4B, the most common treatment-emergent adverse events were nausea (80.5%) and decreased appetite (72.7%). Efficacy and safety data support randomized evaluation of zolbetuximab plus chemoimmunotherapy in patients with CLDN18.2-positive and PD-L1-positive mG/GEJ adenocarcinoma in the ongoing phase 3 LUCERNA study. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03505320 .
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41840238 · DOI · PMC13278966
AI-Assisted Detection of Early Gastric Cancer via Visualization of Mucosal Acidity Compromise During Endoscopy [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Accurate localization of early gastric cancer (EGC) remains challenging due to its morphological resemblance to gastritis.
- Closing excerpt
- By integrating pH mapping with morphological features, this approach enables precise EGC localization, improves guidance for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and reduces false-positive diagnoses.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (200 words)
Accurate localization of early gastric cancer (EGC) remains challenging due to its morphological resemblance to gastritis. This study presents an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted bedside diagnostic system to enhance EGC detection by visualizing gastric mucosal acidity. The ATPase H+/K+ transport β subunit (ATP4B), a key regulator of acid secretion, is progressively downregulated in gastric mucosal atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, and significantly reduced in EGC. A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microarray is developed to map mucosal pH in 50 patient specimens (1,516 points), with founding compared to pathological images. A multi-model neural network is trained and validated internally on data from 40 patients (1,127 points) and externally validated on 10 patients (389 points). Using an optimal pH threshold of 6.845, the system achieved a strong correlation (R2 = 0.79) and low error (SSE = 71.83). External validation demonstrated 87.79% sensitivity, 85.04% specificity, 86.89% accuracy, and a κ score of 0.71. This system detected mild pH shifts in atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia, but marked increases with EGC onset, and is able to predict inflammation prior to pathology confirmation. By integrating pH mapping with morphological features, this approach enables precise EGC localization, improves guidance for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and reduces false-positive diagnoses.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41114471 · DOI · PMC12697849
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Relative potency of proton-pump inhibitors-comparison of effects on intragastric pH [4]
- Research article Cervical or thoracic anastomosis after esophagectomy for cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Helicobacter pylori eradication cannot reduce the risk of gastric cancer in patients with intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia: evidence from a meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Meta-analysis of postoperative morbidity and perioperative mortality in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for resectable oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal junctional cancers [7]
- Research article A systematic review and meta-analysis of pylorus-preserving versus classical pancreaticoduodenectomy for surgical treatment of periampullary and pancreatic carcinoma [8]
- Research article The long-term impact of Helicobacter pylori eradication on gastric histology: a systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
References
- Engelen T, Schuhmann T, Sack AT, Tallon-Baudry C. Cardiac, respiratory, and gastric rhythms independently modulate motor corticospinal excitability in humans. . 2025. PMID 41223212 · DOI · PMC12629470
- Shitara K, Shoji H, Fazio N, Lonardi S, Lee KW, Bai LY, et al.. First-line zolbetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 and nivolumab in unresectable CLDN18.2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a phase 2 trial. . 2026. PMID 41840238 · DOI · PMC13278966
- Yan H, Li Z, Zhao J, Su L, Jin Z, Zhao W, et al.. AI-Assisted Detection of Early Gastric Cancer via Visualization of Mucosal Acidity Compromise During Endoscopy. . 2025. PMID 41114471 · DOI · PMC12697849
- Kirchheiner J, Glatt S, Fuhr U, Klotz U, Meineke I, Seufferlein T, et al.. Relative potency of proton-pump inhibitors-comparison of effects on intragastric pH. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2009. PMID 18925391 · DOI
- Biere SS, Maas KW, Cuesta MA, van der Peet DL. Cervical or thoracic anastomosis after esophagectomy for cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dig Surg. 2011. PMID 21293129 · DOI
- Chen HN, Wang Z, Li X, Zhou ZG. Helicobacter pylori eradication cannot reduce the risk of gastric cancer in patients with intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia: evidence from a meta-analysis. Gastric Cancer. 2016. PMID 25609452 · DOI
- Kumagai K, Rouvelas I, Tsai JA, Mariosa D, Klevebro F, Lindblad M, et al.. Meta-analysis of postoperative morbidity and perioperative mortality in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for resectable oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal junctional cancers. Br J Surg. 2014. PMID 24493117 · DOI
- Diener MK, Knaebel HP, Heukaufer C, Antes G, Büchler MW, Seiler CM. A systematic review and meta-analysis of pylorus-preserving versus classical pancreaticoduodenectomy for surgical treatment of periampullary and pancreatic carcinoma. Ann Surg. 2007. PMID 17245171 · DOI
- Rokkas T, Pistiolas D, Sechopoulos P, Robotis I, Margantinis G. The long-term impact of Helicobacter pylori eradication on gastric histology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Helicobacter. 2007. PMID 17991174 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.