Description of stomach cancer
Gastric cancer is a relatively common cancer. This means that although its incidence today is slightly decreasing due to improvements in the quality of nutrition, hygiene and overall lifestyle, unfortunately, still in some countries has maintained its leading position among the other malignant tumors.
The incidence of stomach cancer varies widely geographically. The largest recorded in Japan (year 80 new patients per 100,000 inhabitants), which may be associated with the consumption of sushi and otherwise treated fish. The negative influence of plays mainly preservation of fish waste in salt and smoking. In such a diet is then a lot of carcinogens.
Another country where we are with stomach cancer could meet more frequently than elsewhere, is Chile. The lowest incidence is lower in the USA. In our country in recent years it appears around 18 new cases per year per 100,000 inhabitants. Slightly more men are subject to this cancer in middle-aged or older.
Gastric cancer is particularly dangerous in that it usually comeslate because the typical cause any significant difficulties.
Risk factors and prevention of gastric cancer
The emergence of this cancer may not be uniform, but participates in it a number of factors. One has already been mentioned carcinogens in the diet, which are formed during smoking(nitrosamines and nitrosamidy) further polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (such as benzpyrene) –PAHs – contained both in cigarette smoke and exhaust gases of automobiles, partly also in any meat which is adjusted frying, grilling or baking.
However, it is obvious that carcinogens are not the only decisive risk factor because carcinogens in the environment constantly increasing, gastric cancer not.
Other “pests,” is mold in foods, excess salt and lack of fresh vegetables and fruits. A significant role in the decline in gastric cancer certainly caused the availability of just fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C and also the possibility of storing food in refrigerators or freezers, since it has reduced inappropriate preserving food.
Enhancements are also health conditions and overall living standard, but of course it depends on each of us, how we eat and generally take care of their health.
What we do not choose the genetic predisposition of cancer. In gastric cancer is known to several genes responsible for its creation. Some forms of cancer are so hereditary, others are only 2-3 times increased likelihood of developing cancer in relatives of a patient who already has this cancer.
Currently, studies by paying attention influence of Helicobacter pylori infection, which acts in the stomach chronic inflammation (gastritis), which is closely related to gastric (peptic) ulcers. People with chronic gastitidou this type should therefore treat (and treatment is fairly easy) to avoid the danger of metaplasia (replacement of the lining of the stomach lining for lining the gut), which is already a harbinger of cancer.
Carcinoma may also develop in certain polyps – growths on the gastric mucosa, which is not otherwise harmful. The risk that the transition to malignancy should, however, be greater polyps particularly preferably removed. As a final attraction is worth noting that the higher incidence of stomach cancer is observed in carriers of blood group A.
Roughly we could summarize that if we care for cancer prevention (not just stomach cancer), we should not smoke, drink to excess concentrated alcohol, eat often grilled or fried meat and, on the contrary, we should eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, limit salting, go to the doctor when you experience any difficulties, even though we may appear as seemingly trivial, also taking antibiotics and drugs against infection with Helicobacter plyori that our doctor prescribes.
Signs and symptoms of stomach cancer
Speeches early stages are usually bland, little urgency or worrying that they do not bring the patient to the doctor, or in some cases even underestimates himself a doctor. It’s a shame, because early detection of gastric cancer has a chance of full recovery. Such cancer is called early. Its transition into a late form may take many years. Unfortunately, until then there are real difficulties, which makes the patient see a doctor.
Stomach cancer can therefore were noticed only vague abdominal pain, gradual loss of appetite,nausea, weight loss, weakness, fatigue. It is essential that these problems usually do not last longer than four months.
If the cancer is located in the upper part of the stomach – in so called. Cardia, which is where the esophagus passes into the stomach, the patients have difficulty swallowing, which is sometimes painful and feel sticking bites.
Some patients may have similar problems as patients with peptic ulcers and stomach pain relief with fasting after eating. Sometimes it can even distinguish itself from peptic ulcer disease based on examination doctors make trouble. Carcinoma in fact in some cases ulcer resembles.
Very negative is if the patient vomits blood or blood appears in the stool, which is usually already digested, so the stool is black, greasy, usually poorly flushed. But it is very nonspecific symptoms because this faeces is reflected a number of other, but also serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Examination of stomach cancer
When a suspected stomach cancer will probably waiting gastroscopic examination – tube with a lens that is inserted through the mouth into the stomach and through which a doctor looks at how it looks inside your stomach. Also on that occasion, removes a tiny sample for histological examination. Supplementary examination is usually blood tests, ultrasound or X-ray and CT.
Treatment for stomach cancer
Hope for a complete cure delivers a single operation, which removed a large portion of the stomach (usually not removed the entire stomach), it is possible only in the early stages, which, as we know, are hardly ever caught in time. If you do, succeed, you need to undergo surgery as soon as possible.
Sometimes surgery is performed even with advanced cancer, to avoid certain complications such as blockage of the stomach tumor or bleeding. Adjunctive chemotherapy is mostly discussing, some experts approve it, others believe that patients will not help much and unnecessarily burden them.
For very advanced tumors selects some combination of chemotherapy, radiation eventually, but it is not very effective in this type of tumor. Chemotherapy helps people solve these problems, unfortunately, now it is too untreated tumor itself because the patients in this era have mostly already metastases in other organs – most commonly in the liver, lungs and bones, rare among women in the ovary.
Other names: gastric carcinoma, adenocarcinoma of the stomach, gastric tumor, a malignancy of the stomach, gastric cancer, malignant neoplasm of stomach