Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, is brought on by the unrestrained growth of abnormal cells lining the stomach’s interior. Physiological changes in the stomach, known as precancerous alterations, occur before cancer develops. Aside from the absence of outward symptoms, stomach cancer has been linked to a rare skin disorder known as Papuloerythroderma of Ofuji (PEO). Swelling, desquamation (skin peeling), and infiltrations of tiny, elevated lumps on the skin characterize this skin disorder, which manifests itself all over the body but mainly on the face.
Which factors increase one’s chance of developing stomach cancer?
A higher chance of developing stomach cancer is associated with the following:
- Helicobacter Pylori: This bacterial infection irritates the stomach lining, which may become cancer if left untreated. Antibiotics can be used to treat a disease if it is detected.
- Gender and Age: Stomach cancer strikes more men than women. Those above the age of 65 seem to be the most vulnerable.
- Diet: Stomach cancer risk is raised when one consumes large quantities of smoked and salted foods like bacon and hot dogs. Selenium is a mineral found in food and may be deficient in some people, raising their risk.
- Race: People of Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and African descent have a higher risk of developing stomach cancer.
- Anemia Pernicious: Because of the decreased stomach acid production brought on by this rare inflammatory condition, vitamin B12 absorption is impaired.
- Inherited cancer syndromes: Nonpolyopsis colorectal cancer (HNPCC/Lynch syndrome), Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and familial adenomatous polyposis are all genetic malignancies that raise the chance of stomach cancer.
- Ancestral Background: The chance of acquiring gastric cancer, which the E-cadherin mutation may cause, is higher in people with a family history of the disease. Inherited changes in BRCA1 and BRCA2 (the breast cancer genes) also increase the risk of stomach cancer.
- Other Factors: Other risk factor for stomach cancer is having blood type A, smoking, and being overweight.
What are the Signs?
Stomach cancer is the fifth most prevalent cause of death in the United States, and the five most common symptoms of the disease include weight loss, indigestion, heartburn, blood in the stools, and vomiting blood. For instance, persistent stomach pain and tenderness is a common symptoms. See a doctor right away if you have any concerns about stomach cancer.
Here’s an explanation of the most common 5 symptoms of stomach cancer:
- Heartburn: Burning pain in the upper chest is the hallmark of heartburn. It’s a rather typical sign of anything wrong in the digestive tract. On the other hand, chronic heartburn could be an indication of malignancy. To ensure everything is fine, your doctor may perform an endoscopy, where a tube is inserted into the stomach via the mouth.
- Full after little meals: Because of the internal stomach wound, even a modest meal can leave a person feeling stuffed and bloated. If you experience this, you must seek medical attention immediately.
- Weight Loss: People with stomach cancer sometimes lose a large amount of weight due to the difficulty they have swallowing and feeling full after eating very little. See a doctor if you’ve lost weight without changing your eating or activity levels. Stomach cancer may cause symptoms like this.
- Weakness: People with stomach cancer feel weak due to poor nutrition, and the small amount of blood lost daily due to the malignancy. Weakness and exhaustion, especially if accompanied by abdominal pain, are symptoms that need to be taken seriously and assessed by a medical professional.
- Nausea/Vomiting: When stomach cancer spreads, it can cause nausea and vomiting. Blood vomiting was also a rare occurrence. You should consult a doctor if you have been feeling nausea and vomiting on occasion in addition to having other symptoms.
These signs and symptoms almost seldom indicate stomach cancer. Nonetheless, it is wise to consult a doctor and rest easy.
Treatments
Standard therapies and stomach cancer treatment in Mumbai include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Multiple therapies against cancer are typical, yet you may need one in milder situations.
- Surgery: Several surgical procedures have been developed to eradicate or alleviate stomach cancer symptoms. Endoscopic submucosal dissection or endoscopic mucosal resection may be performed on malignancies in their earliest stages. Endoscopic techniques eliminate the necessity for incisions in the patient’s skin. Otherwise, a subtotal (partial) or total gastrectomy will be performed to remove all or part of your stomach.
- Medications: Medications, especially chemotherapy and chemotherapy-protective medicines, are frequently used in gastric cancer treatments in Mumbai (leucovorin). Capecitabine, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, carboplatin, cisplatin, docetaxel, epirubicin, and paclitaxel are just a few of the chemotherapy medications used to treat stomach cancer. The medications have shown promise as a stand-alone treatment when administered in cycles, but many surgeons also prescribe them before significant procedures.
- Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is one example of a standard medical method used to treat cancer. Radiation therapy aims to eliminate cancer cells inside the body using an external machine. The x-ray and other high-energy radiation are included in most standard equipment. Since this technique can be performed before or after surgery, it is frequently employed in both settings to either reduce the size of the cancerous tumor before surgery or completely eradicate any trace of the disease that may have survived.
- Palliative treatments: Additional forms of comfort care may also be incorporated into palliative therapy plans. Palliative care focuses on comfort rather than cure, and its goal is not to prolong life but rather to make the remaining time more bearable.
Palliative care focuses primarily on symptom management so that you can have as normal of a life as possible despite the terminal nature of your illness. At the same time, all other treatments aim to eradicate your stomach cancer.
Conclusion
Stomach cancer is treatable if caught at an early stage. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy are all part of the treatment plan. In Mumbai, at the Cancer Surgery Clinic by Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan, patients can receive comprehensive care. The appropriate combination of these treatments is determined depending on the patient’s cancer stage.
Until their condition has worsened significantly, many patients put off visiting a doctor. While it’s true that sometimes there are no symptoms of this dangerous disease, the ones listed above should never be disregarded.
Finding this cancer in its earliest stages dramatically improves survival rates. Oncologists who treat tumors have prepared this list of five warning indicators to assist patients in determining whether or not they are at risk for stomach cancer.
Contact Info –
Organization – Cancer Surgery Clinic
Doctor Name – Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan
Email – hello@cancersurgeryclinic.com
Address – 202, 2nd Floor, Sanskruti by Sugee, LJ Rd, Dadar West, Shivaji Park, Mumbai 400028
