Stomach cancer is a malignant neoplasm that gives symptoms quite late. It happens less and less in Poland, but still over 5,000 are registered every year. new cases of this cancer. Men suffer from this cancer much more often than women. But we must all be vigilant to detect stomach cancer in good time. The best way is to perform a gastroscopy and collect a gastric mucosa for examination.

Stomach canceris a malignant neoplasm, which is the third cause of cancer death in Poland in men and the fifth in women. Gastric cancer detected at an early stage gives 90 percent. a chance for a 5-year survival. Unfortunately, in Poland, in the initial stage of the disease, only 5-8 percent are caught. cases.

And all becausestomach canceris detected late, only at an advanced stage, when effective treatment is significantly difficult, and in some cases even impossible. Therefore, if your doctor orders you to have a gastroscopy, don't avoid it.

In the case of stomach cancer, prophylactic imaging tests (eg ultrasound or computed tomography) or determination of tumor markers do not make sense. With all kinds of gastric ailments lasting more than two weeks, it is worth performing a gastroscopy.

Stomach cancer is themost common neoplasms in the world-the fifth most common malignant neoplasm in terms of incidence and third in terms of mortality . Annuallyabout a million new cases are registeredand about 750,000 deaths. The inhabitants of Japan, Korea, China, Central and South America (Chile, Colombia), Russia and the former USSR countries are most often ill.

Stomach cancer - types

Most often, because almost 95 percent. malignant tumors of the stomach,it has the form of adenocarcinoma , which is a tumor originating from the cells of the glandular epithelium of the stomach. The remaining 5 percent. to:

  • lymphiaki
  • sarcomas
  • carcinoid
  • stromal (stromal) tumors

Clinically, these neoplasms are classified according to the so-called Lauren's classification into two types:

  • diffuse stomach cancer
  • intestinal gastric cancer

It is an important division, as these groups differ in prognosis, occurrence and the basis for the development of the disease.

The intestinal type of cancerof the stomachdevelops as a result of precancerous lesions, it is more common in men and gives the patienta better prognosisfor the future.

Diffuse gastric cancerdevelops on an unchanged mucosa, andthe prognosis is worse . It is more common in women, usually young, in the part of the stomach closer to the esophagus. It is interesting that it is more common in people with blood group A. Note!This type of cancer runs in families .

Stomach cancer - causes

Various studies have shown thatenvironmental factorsplay a much greater role in the formation of stomach cancer thangenetics . However, it is not possible to fully explain all the causes that increase the risk of developing the disease. Doctors emphasize the importance of several factors, includingdietandthe occurrence of the so-called pre-cancerous conditions .

It has been proven that gastric cancer is favored bydietbased on eating large amounts of canned, smoked and heavily s alted foods with an excess of s altpeter (such foods containcarcinogenic nitrites ) and eating small amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits - as with other gastrointestinal cancersproper nutritionplays a huge role in the prevention of stomach cancer.

Another important risk factor is smoking and alcohol abuse.

Another cause of stomach cancer is an infection with bacteriaHelicobacter pylori . It causes chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which initiates the remodeling of the cells in the stomach lining and the formation of neoplastic lesions.

Symptoms of stomach cancer

The onset of the disease is quite easy to overlook, because similar symptoms also occur in other ailments of the digestive tract. In the early stages of gastric cancer development, the following appear:

  • chronic burning in the stomach
  • flatulence
  • nausea
  • loss of appetite
  • sometimes - slight stomach pains

As the disease progresses, there are:

  • weight loss
  • feeling weak
  • vomiting
  • blood in stool
  • worsening abdominal pain

Abdominal pain affects the epigastrium, which is the part of the abdomen above the navel. They appear after meals and disappear when the patient is fasting. These pains do not lessen after taking antacids for ailments such as heartburn and stomach ulcers. Symptoms such as:

  • weight loss
  • noneappetite and nausea, vomiting
  • swallowing disorders
  • feeling disgusted with eating meat

As the disease progresses, stool disorders are possible (the faeces are tarry, black in color, which is a consequence of gastrointestinal bleeding).

Anemia, also caused by tumor bleeding, is a common symptom. Some people with stomach cancer also have:

  • pale skin and conjunctiva
  • sleepiness
  • unreasonable fatigue

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Stomach cancer - research

If a doctor suspects stomach cancer, he or she ordersupper gastrointestinal x-rayafter contrasting with barite. Baryte covers the gastric mucosa and makes it more visible.

The basic test that excludes or confirms the diagnosis isgastroscopy , i.e. viewing (from the inside) the gastric mucosawith taking samples for examinationfrom suspicious places .

Cells collected from the mucosa are assessed under a microscope. When the doctor determines the presence of cancer cells, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is helpful in assessing the extent of the cancer.

Ultrasound is also used quite often, but remember that it is a complementary test.

Treatment of stomach cancer

The type of therapy depends on the stage of the cancer. Butthe only treatmentthat gives a chance of a full recovery issurgery- this involvesremoving the stomach( or a large part of it) and nearby lymph nodes.

Some patients require adjuvant treatment, i.e. chemotherapy, after surgery. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this type of treatment is still not high due to the specific structure of stomach tumors.

Early gastric cancer outbreakslimited to the mucosa (early gastric cancer)can be treated with the endoscopic method , e.g. by mucosectomy, i.e. by excision mucosa.

In very advanced cases(when it is impossible to completely excise the cancer), apart from chemotherapy, the so-calledsurgical palliative treatment .

It involves anastomosis of a he althy part of the stomach with the small intestine, which allows food to pass freely from the stomach to the intestines, bypassing the place where there is a cancerous tumor.

The article comes from the monthly "Zdrowie"

About the authorAnna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitionsfor journalists in medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.

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