Some Facts About Stomach Cancer

Answer 1

Stomach cancer is an uncontrolled growth of malignant cells in the stomach. According to the National Cancer Institute, 21,500 people will be diagnosed with stomach cancer and 10,340 will die of it in 2011.

Signs and symptoms

The first signs and symptoms of stomach cancer are vague and may resemble conditions like indigestion or ulcers. The person has a feeling of overfullness, as if they've just eaten a large meal. There might also be burping, nausea and poor appetite. In later stages, the sufferer experiences unexplained weight loss. They might vomit blood that resembles coffee grinds. pass black stools and feel full even after eating small amounts of food. They'll be anemic and have pain in the upper abdomen. Sometimes a mass in the upper abdomen can be felt. Most people who contract stomach cancer are men over 40, though the risk increases with people over 65.

Risk Factors

Some of the things that increase the risk for stomach cancer are having close relatives who've had stomach cancer and the patient's blood type. Stomach cancer is more common in people with type-A blood. Pernicious anemia also predisposes some people to stomach cancer, as does excess alcohol consumption and hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria. The first is a condition where the stomach doesn't produce enough hydrochloric acid, the second a condition where the stomach doesn't produce any hydrochloric acid. People who've had stomach surgery or have had part of their stomach removed are also at somewhat greater risk, as are people whose diet is heavy in smoked, pickled or salted meat. People who smoke or who've been infected by the helicobacter pylori bacteria are also at greater risk for developing the disease.

Treatment

Since stomach cancer is often found in its later stages, it's hard to treat, though with early diagnosis the five year survival rate can be as high as 61%. If the cancer is caught very early it can be removed by an endoscope, or a tube that's guided down the throat to find the lesion. Most stomach cancers in the United States aren't found at this stage, however.

The dominant form of stomach cancer treatment is surgery. Depending on the stage, all or part of the stomach is removed and nearby lymph nodes may be removed as well. When the cancer has spread to other organs, chemotherapy or radiation is used only to provide relief. By the time stomach cancer has metastasized it's considered incurable.