What are the symptoms of stomach cancer and what to do next

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Heartburn and indigestion are not always signs of gastritis.

What is stomach cancer

Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic is a malignant tumor in which abnormal mucosal cells appear and multiply. Gastric Cancer / Medscape ranks sixth in the world in prevalence and fourth in cancer / World Health Organization causes of cancer-related deaths.

Why does stomach cancer occur?

Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic develops a tumor if the structure of the DNA changes in the tissues of the mucous membrane. The cells begin to divide quickly, do not age or die, as healthy people should do. Instead, they accumulate and form a tumor that can destroy the surrounding tissue. Some cells even break off and are delivered to other organs through the blood or lymph. Metastases appear there.

Why the DNA structure is changing, scientists do not know for sure. But they identified the Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic factors that increase the risk of developing cancer:

• Obesity.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease is when stomach contents are thrown back into the esophagus because the muscle ring between them is not fully compressed.
• Improper nutrition. It is bad for the stomach if a person eats a lot of salty and smoked food and few fruits and vegetables.
• Helicobacter pylori infection. It is a bacteria that causes stomach inflammation.
• Chronic gastritis.
• Smoking.
• Stomach Cancer Risk Factors / American Cancer Society Alcohol Abuse. The risk is higher if a person drinks more Alcohol poisoning / Mayo Clinic per day more than a liter of beer, or half a liter of wine, or 130 milliliters of 40-degree alcohol.
• Postponed Gastric Cancer Clinical Presentation / Medscape gastric surgery.
• Polyps of the stomach. This is the name of small benign outgrowths on the mucous membrane.
• Hereditary predisposition. It is believed that 10% of people have stomach cancer transmitted by Gastric Cancer Clinical Presentation / Medscape from close relatives.
• General immunodeficiency. In this condition, the Stomach Cancer Risk Factors / American Cancer Society disrupts the synthesis of antibodies in a person, therefore, the protection against microorganisms is reduced. This leads to frequent infectious diseases, atrophic gastritis, pernicious anemia and stomach cancer.
• Epstein-Barr virus. It causes Stomach Cancer Risk Factors / American Cancer Society infectious mononucleosis. It is believed that this virus can provoke less aggressive stomach swelling compared to other causes.
• Malignant Anemia Gastric Cancer Clinical Presentation / Medscape. This is a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood associated with a lack of vitamin B12. The disease leads to a violation of the synthesis of substances that protect the gastric mucosa.
• Harmful Stomach Cancer Risk Factors / American Cancer Society work. It is believed that people who work in the metals and mining industries have a higher risk of developing stomach cancer.
• Second blood group Stomach Cancer Risk Factors / American Cancer Society.
• Radiation Gastric Cancer Clinical Presentation / Medscape.

What are the symptoms of stomach cancer

At an early stage, a tumor is difficult to recognize, because it does not have specific Gastric Cancer / Medscape signs. Many people think it's just a mild ailment. Therefore, most of the pronounced symptoms appear already in a neglected form. Here's what to look for in Gastric Cancer / Medscape:

• Recurrent nausea or vomiting.
• Decreased appetite.
• Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic pain in the upper abdomen between the ribs.
• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
• Bloating.
• Feeling full after eating very little.
• Heartburn.
• Black stool (melena), which comes from bleeding in the stomach and leads to anemia.
• Sudden weight loss.
• Vomiting of blood (hematomesis).
• Enlarged lymph nodes above the left clavicle and in the anterior region of the armpit.

What to do if there are symptoms of stomach cancer

If any of the listed changes appear, you need to contact a therapist. If necessary, he will refer you to an oncologist.

To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe an examination. It will include the Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic:

• Endoscopy. This is a procedure in which a thin tube with a video camera is inserted through the mouth. So you can carefully examine the gastric mucosa.
• Biopsy. The doctor pinches off a piece of suspicious tissue during an endoscopy and then sends the sample to the laboratory for examination.
• X-ray or CT. The pictures are taken after the person has drunk the barium solution. This substance helps to see the inner contours of the stomach.

If doctors cannot make an accurate diagnosis and determine the stage of the cancer, several lymph nodes will be removed from the person's abdomen in order to check their structure in a laboratory.

How is stomach cancer treated?

The oncologist will draw up an individual plan for dealing with the disease, focusing on the stage of the cancer, the size and location of the tumor, as well as the general health of the patient.

Operation

Its goal is to remove tissue altered by the tumor. The Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic options are as follows:

• Endoscopic mucosal resection. The doctor will insert a tube with a camera and surgical instrument through the mouth to cut out the area of cancer. This method is used only at an early stage.
• Subtotal gastric resection. The surgeon will remove not only the part of the organ affected by cancer, but also some tissue from the small intestine if the tumor is located in the lower part of the stomach.
• Complete gastrectomy. This operation is performed if the tumor is large or grows in the body of the stomach or at the junction with the esophagus. Therefore, the doctor will remove the entire stomach and surrounding tissues, and connect the esophagus to the intestines. A person who has undergone surgery will have to follow a diet: eat small portions five or six times a day, do not drink during meals and immediately after. Also, doctors will advise to eat more protein foods (meat, poultry, fish), complex carbohydrates, while reducing the consumption of sweet and dairy products. And be sure to drink 1, 4-1, 9 liters of water per day.

Chemotherapy

The powerful Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic medicines help kill cancer cells that have spread outside the stomach.

Chemotherapy is sometimes given before surgery to shrink the tumor. But more often, medications are used after surgery or in combination with other methods.

Radiation therapy

Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic uses powerful X-rays or protons to destroy cancer cells. If a person is exposed to radiation before surgery, it makes the tumor smaller and easier for the doctor to remove. After surgery, radiation therapy kills any remaining cancer cells.

Immunotherapy

Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic is used to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. This method is used in cases where the tumor has spread to other organs or returned after treatment.

Targeted therapy

It is also called biotherapy. Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic uses medications that interfere with the biochemical processes in cancer cells and prevent tumors from growing. The technique is often combined with chemotherapy.

Palliative care

This is the name of the Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic maintenance treatment, which is prescribed for patients in serious condition. For example, in case of cancer at the last stage, when it is impossible to completely remove the tumor, the doctor cuts out a part of the stomach so that the patient feels less pain and pressure on neighboring organs.

Palliative care is used after chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of aggressive treatment.

How to reduce your risk of stomach cancer

There are no guaranteed ways to avoid this. But to reduce the risks, doctors advise Stomach cancer / Mayo Clinic:

• Maintain a healthy weight. You can focus on the body mass index.
• Eat properly. The diet should be high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Eat less red or processed meats (such as bacon, ham, and sausage) and drink less sugary drinks.
• Stop drinking or cut back on alcohol.
• Quit smoking.
• Get rid of Helicobacter pylori if there are unpleasant symptoms: heaviness, heartburn and abdominal pain.