8 Important Things You Should Know About Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer is a life threatening
cancer because diagnosis is usually
made when the cancer is in its
advanced stage. Poor awareness about
the condition and low index of
suspicion among physicians when
treating patients with gastrointestinal
symptoms have been partly
responsible for worst conditions. In
this article, we will discuss on 8
clinical things you should know about
stomach cancer.
1. What is stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer is a relatively
common cancer and it is the third
most common cancer causing death
worldwide. This is due to the fact that
most patients with stomach cancer are
usually diagnosed very late with an
advanced disease characterized by the
spread of the cancer cells to organs
like the lungs, small intestines, liver,
bones and the brain. It is caused by
an unexplained and uncontrolled
growth of the cells of the stomach.
Stomach cancer may be restricted to
the stomach or it may spread to
involve other vital organs in close
proximity with the stomach.
2. Risk factors and causes of stomach
cancer
Certain risk factors have been
attributed to stomach cancer. These
include: infection with Helicobacter
pylori, untreated peptic ulcer disease,
pernicious anemia, excessive cigarette
smoking and alcohol consumption,
family history of stomach cancer; diet
especially smoked foods e.g. fish,
highly salted meals and meals low in
fibre and vegetables. This is a critical
fact that all patients and doctors
should know about stomach cancer.
3. What are the symptoms of stomach
cancer?
Symptoms of stomach cancer include:
anorexia, nausea and vomiting, loss of
appetite, generalized body weakness,
pallor, severe weight loss, mass felt
around the upper part of the
abdomen, passage of blood in stool
and signs suggestive of spread of
stomach cancer to other organs in the
body. However, early symptoms of
gastric cancer are unspecific hence
prompt and adequate medical
consultation should be sought for
whenever you begin to experience any
gastrointestinal symptoms.
4. How do doctors make a diagnosis of
stomach cancer?
The diagnosis of stomach cancer starts
with a detailed clinical history where
the doctor will ask you series of
questions. This is to establish the
cause of your disease, the course and
possible risk factors. Also, the clinical
history is used in ascertaining the
spread of stomach cancer; other
organs involved in the disease
process, co-morbid medical conditions
like diabetes, hypertension kidney
disease are also identified during the
clinical history.
Next is a detailed clinical examination
where the doctor will examine you
using his eyes and hands. This
confirms findings from the clinical
history. Then, series of medical
investigations will be requested by
your physician. This includes, full
blood count, endoscopy where a tube
with a camera is passed into the
stomach via the mouth. This gives a
direct visual picture of the cancer and
samples may be taken at the same
time for histology which confirms the
presence of a stomach cancer. Other
investigation may include CT scan of
the abdomen, barium meal using
contrast and occult fecal blood test.
5. Is stomach cancer treatable?
Yes, cancer is treatable if the
diagnosis is made early. However,
most cases of stomach cancer are
usually diagnosed in its advanced
stage especially in developing
countries with poor healthcare seeking
behavior and inability to access
quality health care. Treatment
generally depends on the stage of the
disease, availability of medical
facilities and personnel, presence of
other medical conditions. Surgery,
radiotherapy and chemotherapy are
the main stream of treatment of
stomach cancer.
These treatment modalities are usually
used in combination for effectiveness.
Surgery involves the removal or part
of the stomach that is affected by the
cancer. The remaining portion may be
used to create a new but smaller
stomach or the esophagus can be
joined directly to the small intestine.
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy
involves the use or external beam of
radiation and cytotoxic drugs
respectively to kill the cancer cells.
6. Can someone inherit stomach cancer?
It is generally true that cancers are
caused by mutations in certain genes
which cause an uncontrolled growth
of body cells. It is important to note
that these genes can be inherited from
parents or passed through a lineage
line. This is significant in people with
a family history of Lynch syndrome or
with first degree relatives diagnosed
with cancer of the stomach.
7. Can stomach cancer be prevented?
With the advancement in medicine,
screening tests have been developed
for patients who are high risk
candidates for stomach cancer. One of
such test is Genetic testing where
blood sample is collected from the
patient and it’s analyzed for any
genetic mutations necessary for the
occurrence of stomach cancer.
However, not much can be done to
prevent the occurrence of stomach
cancer but risk factors can be
identified and tackled to reduce the
risk of developing stomach cancer.
Whenever you experience burning
chest pain, it is recommended that you
visit your doctor who is going to
access you for peptic ulcer disease and
exclude chronic infection with
Helicobacter pylori. This is usually
treated with the use of potent
antibiotics. Avoid highly salted and
smoked food, eating diet that is high
in fibre and vegetables has been
shown to significantly reduce the risk
of developing stomach cancer. Eating
right and exercising regularly reduces
the incidence of obesity which has
been shown to be an important risk
factor for stomach cancer. Also, it is
recommended to cut down on alcohol
and cigarette smoking.
8. Living with stomach cancer
The news that one has been diagnosed
with stomach cancer is enough to
cause much anxiety and fear.
However, with the advances in clinical
medicine, stomach cancer like any
other cancer can be treated with little
or no complication. For patients with
advanced stomach disease, survival
rate can be increased by using a
combination of radiotherapy and/or
chemotherapy.
After surgery for stomach cancer, your
diet will be modified to suit your
present need. In patients where part
of the stomach has been removed,
frequent meals high in nutrients,
fibres and vegetables may be needed
but in patients where the stomach was
completely removed, elemental diet
may be needed because food moves
indirectly into the small intestines via
the esophagus. Patients suffering from
stomach cancer may be organized into
support groups which will enable
them cope psychologically after
treatment.