Stomach cancer or gastric cancer is cancer developing from the lining of the stomach.
Signs & Symptoms:
Poor appetite
Weight loss
Abdominal (belly) pain
Vague discomfort in the abdomen, usually above the navel
A sense of fullness in the upper abdomen after eating a small meal
Heartburn or indigestion
Nausea
Vomiting, with or without blood
Swelling or fluid build-up in the abdomen
Low red blood cell count (anemia)
Risk Factors:
A diet high in salty and smoked foods
A diet low in fruits and vegetables
Eating foods contaminated with aflatoxin fungus
Family history of stomach cancer
Infection with Helicobacter pylori
Long-term stomach inflammation
Pernicious anemia
Smoking
Stomach polyps
Common Types:
Adenocarcinomas
Lymphoma
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Carcinoid tumors
Diagnosis:
Biopsy
Endoscopy
Endoscopic ultrasound
X-ray
Barium swallow
Computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
Laparoscopy
Stages:
Stage 1
At this stage, the tumor is limited to the layer of tissue that lines the inside of the stomach. Cancer cells may also have spread to a limited number of nearby lymph nodes.
Stage 2
The cancer at this stage has spread deeper, growing into the muscle layer of the stomach wall. Cancer may also have spread to more of the lymph nodes.
Stage 3
At this stage, the cancer may have grown through all the layers of the stomach. Or it may be a smaller cancer that has spread more extensively to the lymph nodes.
Stage 4
This stage indicates that the cancer has spread to distant areas of the body.
Prevention:
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Reduce the amount of salty and smoked foods you eat
Stop smoking
Management:
Surgery
Surgery is used to diagnose, stage and treat cancer, and to manage certain cancer-related symptoms. In early stages (stages 0 or I), when the cancer is still only in the stomach, surgery is used to remove the part of the stomach with cancer, called a subtotal or partial gastrectomy, as well as the nearby lymph nodes. In a partial gastrectomy, the surgeon connects the remaining part of the stomach to the esophagus or small intestine. If the cancer has spread to the outer stomach wall with or without having spread to the lymph nodes, surgery plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be used. The surgeon can perform a subtotal gastrectomy or a total gastrectomy, which is the removal of all of the stomach. During a total gastrectomy, the surgeon attaches the esophagus directly to the small intestine.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs designed to slow or stop the growth of rapidly dividing cancer cells in the body.
Radiation therapy Radiation therapy uses targeted energy (e.g., X-rays, radioactive substances) to destroy cancer cells, shrink tumors, and/or alleviate certain cancer-related symptoms.
Targeted therapy Targeted therapy blocks the growth and spread of cancer by preventing cancer cells from dividing or destroying them directly.
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