Stomach cancer. Ultrasound scan of the cancerous stomach of an 88-year-old woman. The stomach is seen as a 4-centimetre-diameter cross-section, with its wall (black circle) being abnormally thickened due to the cancer. The bright area is gas in the stomach, and the dark line running down from it is an acoustic shadow from waves reflected off the gas. Stomach cancer is usually a glandular cancer (adenocarcinoma) of its inner lining. At an advanced stage the chances of recovery are poor. Treatment involves surgical excision and courses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Ultrasound scans use reflected high-frequency sound waves to build- up a picture of internal body structures.