Stomach cancer
What is it
Gastric Cancer is a disease that occurs due to the uncontrolled growth of stomach cells . The tumors can originate in any of the layers of this organ: mucosa, muscular or serosa.
According to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the most common type is adenocarcinoma , a tumor that originates in the glands and accounts for 95 percent of diagnoses in stomach cancer.
The sarcoma s , melanomas and lymphomas do not usually occur in this area of the body.
Causes
As in other types of cancers, such as brain tumors or osteosarcoma , for example, the exact causes of gastric cancer are unknown.
However, some of the risk factors that favor the appearance of cancer are known:
- Nutritional Factors : Following a diet rich in salted and smoked products, frequent in Japan and China, low in fresh fruits and vegetables or high concentrations of nitrates in food may increase the risk of gastric cancer.
- Environmental factors : Prepare food poorly, lack of refrigeration or water in poor condition, also increase the chances of this pathology appears.
- Consume snuff .
- Some diseases: There are certain pathologies and circumstances that increase the risk of developing this cancer. People who have previously had gastric surgery could develop it if it has been 10 to 15 years since the patient was operated on; chronic atrophic gastritis can degenerate into a cancer; pernicious anemia, gastric polyps or H. pylori infection . However, although H. pylori infection increases the risk, most infected patients will not develop cancer.
- Genetic factors: In unusual circumstances, cancer can be linked to genetic factors, for example, in the hereditary diffuse gastric cancer syndrome several family members will have stomach cancer.
- Family factors: A patient with several relatives with gastric cancer has between 2 and 3 times more risk of suffering from it.
symptoms
In most cases, gastric cancer remains asymptomatic until the patient is at an advanced stage of the disease.
According to SEOM, the symptoms referred by the patient to the doctor are usually vague and nonspecific and coincide with symptoms of other pathologies such as gastric ulcer. The most frequent manifestations are loss of weight and appetite , abdominal pain, changes in the intestinal rhythm or hemorrhages that can lead to anemia. In addition, some patients may also have nausea and vomiting , feeling full after eating too little, tiredness
During the physical examination, the doctor may notice symptoms such as palpable nodules, masses, filling in the abdomen or enlargement of an organ, among others.
Prevention
To date, there is not enough scientific evidence to recommend endoscopic screening in the healthy population of Western countries, where gastric cancer is not very frequent. Among the strategies to prevent stomach cancer from occurring, SEOM insists on the importance of:
- Consume a large amount of fresh vegetables and fruits , pillars of the Mediterranean diet , and reduce salting and smoked.
- Keep food properly.
- No smoking .
- Avoiding obesity , maintaining a normal body weight and practicing physical exercise decreases the risk of cancer.
Types
More than 95 percent of stomach cancers are adenocarcinomas , a type of tumor that arises from the uncontrolled growth of the cells of the mucosal glands. Within the adenocarcinoma there are two subtypes: intestinal and diffuse.
Other less common types of gastric cancer are sarcomas, melanomas, lymphomas, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
Diagnosis
In some countries where stomach cancer is very common, such as Japan, tests (gastroscopy) are performed to get an early diagnosis. However, as they explain from SEOM, so far in Western countries, it has not been demonstrated that the explorations that are routinely performed in asymptomatic people increase the survival of gastric cancer.
The first step that patients must take to diagnose this pathology is to perform a clinical history accompanied by physical examination , an analytical, radiological tests and, in most cases, a gastroscopy
Blood test
Analytics are important because they will provide information on whether the patient has anemia and can guide the specialist on the status of the function of some organs, mainly the liver and the kidney.
On the other hand, the results will show tumor markers , indicators that point to the existence of cancer, although in some cases the markers may be high due to non-tumor causes.
Upper digestive endoscopy
In this test, the doctor introduces the gastroscope through the mouth, an apparatus that has a light at the end and that allows to visualize the inside of the digestive system. The gastroscope has a clamp at the inner end that allows biopsies to be taken .
Radiological examinations
Radiological tests allow more information about cancer, such as its extension. The most used are:
- Chest x-ray : Can be replaced by a thoracic scanner.
- Abdominal x-ray : Provides information on whether there are obstructions of the stomach or intestine.
- Esophagus-gastro-duodenal study : The doctor will administer a barium contrast in the form of porridge and perform an x-ray. With this test you can detect injuries. If a gastroscopy has been performed, this study is not necessary.
- Abdominal or abdominal-pelvic ultrasound .
- Chest scanner
- Abdominal-pelvic CT: It offers a lot of information about stomach cancer: extension, existence or not of metastasis in the liver, etc.
- Abdominal resonance
In addition to these tests, there are other complementary tests that the specialist can request to complete the diagnosis: endoscopic ultrasound, positron emission tomography (PET), bone scan or laparoscopy.
Treatments
According to SEOM, the choice of the appropriate therapy depends on different factors : age, general state of the patient, nutritional situation and the existence of other important pathologies, such as heart disease .
In addition, doctors must take into account the circumstances of the tumor: area of the stomach where the cancer is located, stage of the disease and the type of tumor, as well as the effectiveness of the treatment.
In most cases, the treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach in which professionals from different specialties participate.
The three fundamental therapies are surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy . In some patients, the treatment will only consist of manifestations such as pain.
Although it depends on the patient, the protocol that is usually followed is, in the first place, to remove the primary tumor if there are no distant metastases. Depending on the extent of the tumor, the specialist will administer complementary chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy.
In the circumstances in which there is metastasis, the treatment of choice is chemotherapy. Depending on the patient, the oncologist will also include treatment with radiotherapy and / or surgery.
Other data
Incidence
Stomach cancer is the fifth most frequent tumor in the world . However, its presence varies greatly depending on the geographical location. In fact, more than half of the cases are in Japan and China. Other countries where it is frequent are South America, Eastern Europe and some countries of the Middle East.
In Europe, the United States, Australia and Africa is rare although its incidence is increasing in recent years.
The risk of developing it increases after 50 years and is more frequent in men than in women.
The post Stomach cancer appeared first on HealthBodha.com.
