Stomach cancer – early symptoms, prognosis, treatment and causes

Proven content

Stomach cancer is a malignant tumor that is a frequent cause of death in both men and women. The cause of stomach cancer, like most other cancers, is not fully understood. It is assumed that approx. 90 percent. The causative agents of stomach cancer have their origin in the environment around us and in many cases are the result of its unfavorable activity. In addition, eating moldy, smoked, sour and fermented foods can promote cancer.

Stomach cancer – definition and prognosis

Stomach cancer is a malignant neoplasm that is more and more common in Poland (more than five thousand new cases are reported every year). Men are more likely to develop stomach cancer than women, but both sexes should be vigilant to diagnose the disease as early as possible. The disease is a frequent cause of death precisely because of late diagnosis, which makes effective treatment difficult, and sometimes even impossible. Gastroscopy is considered the best method of detecting gastric cancer, during which a section of the mucosa is collected for examination. The prognosis for this disease depends on the type of cancer (adenocarcinoma is the most common form of the disease). In addition to adenocarcinoma, less common types of this cancer are: lymphomas, carcinoids, sarcomas and small cell neoplasms.

Any doubts related to your health should be consulted immediately with your family doctor, who will direct us to other specialists and issue the necessary referrals. Make an appointment today on the halodoctor.pl portal as part of the NHF insurance.

In addition to adenocarcinoma, there are also other, rarer types of cancer of this organ:

Stomach cancer types

According to Lauren’s classification, cancer is divided into two types:

1. gastric cancer of the intestinal form – it is much more common in men and develops on the basis of precancerous lesions (which is important, it gives a better prognosis);
2. diffuse gastric cancer – has a worse prognosis and develops on the unchanged mucosa. This type of cancer is much more common in young women and in people with blood group A. Importantly, this type of cancer may run in families.

Stomach cancer – the causes of cancer

The factors contributing to the development of gastric cancer include:

1. environmental impact,
2. genetic predisposition,
3. origin (it occurs more often, among others, in the Japanese and Chinese),
4. daily diet and diet (cancer favors eating a large amount of smoked, canned products and those with a lot of salt and saltpetre),
5. too little fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet,
6. the occurrence of precancerous conditions,
7. alcohol abuse,
8. smoking,
9. obesity,
10. gastric adenomatous polyp,
11. the presence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori in the body, which leads to chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa.

Symptoms of stomach cancer

The symptoms of stomach cancer are not very specific. The development of this type of cancer, like most cancers, may not be noticeable at first. Later, symptoms intensify in the form of:

1. indigestion,
2. they join pains,
3. loss of appetite
4. weight loss
5. a feeling of disgust in the mouth,
6. belching,
7. chronic burning in the stomach,
8. flatulence
9. nausea,
10. slight abdominal pain
11. general weakness,
12. blood in the stool
13. vomiting
14. pale skin and conjunctiva,
15. palpable tumor in the navel area,
16. somnolence.

Abdominal pain in gastric cancer usually occurs after eating and resolves when the patient is fasting. Unfortunately, the pain does not disappear even after taking preparations that neutralize digestive juices. In some patients, in addition to weight loss or lack of appetite, symptoms such as dysphagia and even disgust to eat meat (so-called meat abnormalities) develop. All symptoms arise from the growth of cancerous tissues.

Stomach cancer diagnosis

The diagnosis of cancer is based mainly on the complaints reported by the patient, radiological examination, and above all on the endoscopic and histopathological examination of the specimens taken during the endoscopy. When gastric cancer is suspected, the doctor makes an X-ray of the upper gastrointestinal tract using a contrast with barite (the barite shows the gastric mucosa better). On the other hand, gastroscopy allows the inside of the gastric mucosa to be viewed from the inside and a specimen taken for histopathological examination, and is the basic method that excludes or confirms the diagnosis. Ultrasound is used as a complementary examination. On the other hand, on the basis of computed tomography, the location of the starting point and possible directions of proliferation of proliferative changes are assessed.

You can arrange an appointment with a gastroenterologist privately at POLMED facilities. Thanks to this, you do not have to wait long for the deadline.

Treatment of stomach cancer

The type of stomach cancer treatment you choose depends on how advanced the cancer is. Surgery is considered to be the most effective method which gives a chance of complete recovery. It involves removing much or all of the stomach, along with the surrounding lymph nodes. After surgery, many patients receive chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment.

In contrast, gastric cancer at an early stage (limited only to the mucosa) is treated endoscopic method. This can be, for example, a mucosectomy, i.e. excision of the mucosa. On the other hand, in advanced cases, apart from chemotherapy, it is often used palliative treatment, during which the healthy part of the stomach and the small intestine are anastomosed. Thanks to this procedure, food can easily pass from the stomach into the intestines (excluding the area where the tumor is located).

Another operating method is also assumption percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), during which an opening is created in the skin of the abdomen, and then a drain is inserted, whose task is to connect the stomach’s lumen with the external environment. Food can be given to the patient through such a tube. There is a similar procedure jejunostomywhere the opening is not made in the stomach but in the small intestine.

Chemotherapy – it is based on the administration of special chemical compounds to the patient, the task of which is to destroy cancer cells and inhibit their multiplication. Despite the surgical removal of the lesion, these cells may be in the surrounding tissues or lymph nodes, so the goal of postoperative chemotherapy is to kill any remaining cells.

Radiotherapy – it is a method of treatment based on the use of ionizing radiation, which is aimed directly at the neoplastic tumor.

The prognosis of gastric cancer depends primarily on the type of cancer and the time at which the diagnosis was made.

Complications of stomach cancer

Complications of stomach cancer include:

1. cancer metastasis to the lungs or liver,
2. tumor perforation,
3. tumor bleeding
4. gastrointestinal obstruction.

How can stomach cancer be prevented?

Prevention should be based on:

1. the effective treatment of an infection caused by H. pylori,
2. systematic control of gastric ulceration,
3. substitution treatment of gastric inflammations (non-acidic),
4. controlling body weight,
5. limiting the consumption of stale, smoked, pickled or cured food,
6. eating regularly with healthy foods (fresh, natural),
7. introducing more fish, cheese, milk and eggs into the diet.

If there has been a case of stomach cancer in your family, it may be worthwhile to have a screening test for Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for stomach ailments. The survey is available on Medonet Market.