Cancer is second only to heart disease among the deadliest human diseases in the world. While cancer used to be someone, somewhere, now, we have reached a stage where we know, know, and are relatives.
Studies show that the number of cancer patients, which was two crore seventy three lakh in 2021 alone, is likely to approach three crore by 2025. Thus, in India alone, one in every 15 people is said to have cancer. It is a fact that there is still not enough awareness among us about these widespread life-killing cancers and their symptoms and methods of early detection.
Therefore, every year February 4th is observed as Cancer Day to create awareness about cancer among the people. As such, senior cancer surgeon shares with us about gastric cancer. Gastric Cancer The food we eat travels from the mouth through the esophagus to the stomach.
Once the food reaches the stomach, the small intestine begins its work of digestion. The area between the esophagus and the small intestine is called the stomach. This stomach consists of four thin tube-like layers. When a tumor develops in its interior, it eventually grows and becomes gastric cancer. If this is taken care of in the early stages, it will not cause any major damage. It can become life threatening as it progresses towards the next stage.
Who is at risk of gastric cancer? What causes it? Stomach cancer is more likely to affect men than women. Gastric cancer is most common in East Asian countries and Japan. Next, more people are affected in India. However, it is less common in India than in Japan.
Gastric cancer is caused by H. pylori infection in the stomach. The reason for the occurrence of this germ is that the food is not properly digested and the stomach ulcer is caused due to the consumption of spicy food, delayed eating, eating at the wrong time. As the ulcer continues to heal quickly, H pylori bacteria begin to grow in it, which eventually turns into cancer. Also, years of continuous drinking and smoking can cause ulcers in the stomach which can also turn into cancer.
Gastric cancer can also occur due to obesity. This stomach cancer can be divided into two types. Proximal gastric cancer occurs between the esophagus and the small intestine due to the reaction of acid in the stomach. It is an obesity-related cancer. Distal gastric cancer occurs in the second part of the stomach. Caused by H pylori infection.
Symptoms of gastric cancer
Flatulence
Digestive problems
Stomach acidity
When abdominal pains etc. occur continuously, one should consult a doctor and find out why these symptoms occur. Sometimes these symptoms can also be caused by a simple stomach ulcer. In any case, when the symptoms persist, do not ignore them and consult a doctor.
Treatment methods
When a person presents with symptoms like the above, an endoscopy examination is recommended by the doctors. With this endoscopy test, he can know exactly what the problem is. If the endoscopy test shows a tumor in the abdomen, a biopsy will be done to find out what the tumor is.
This biopsy will confirm what the tumor is. If it is confirmed that it is a cancerous tumor, the stage of the tumor will be determined through CT scan, PET scan, etc.
After that, the stage will be determined and appropriate treatment will be given. That is, if there is a small tumor in the stomach area, it is called stage one. Two types of treatment are carried out in this condition. The first type is endoscopy to remove the tumor. The second is surgical removal of the tumor. In particular, laparoscopy or robotic surgery is used.
In the second and third stages, chemotherapy treatments are given for a few months followed by surgery. Chemotherapy treatment is then given again for a few days. In stage four, the cancer cells have completely spread to other parts and organs. In that case surgery cannot be done. So, they are given only chemotherapy.
Ways to defend yourself
Generally, if H pylori is found in the absence of cancer in the biopsy test, it is immediately controlled with antibiotics. If this germ is controlled it is less likely to turn into cancer. Acid-like fluid in the lower part of the stomach can sometimes, in some people, move up through the esophagus.
It is only when some people experience symptoms like heartburn. This is called reflex. When this happens to a person, there is a possibility of stomach tumor in some people. So, there is no chance of cancer if this reflux is controlled by giving medicine pills in the beginning.
Also, you should give up alcohol, smoking, etc. When you adopt a healthy lifestyle such as daily exercise, walking, maintaining an average body weight, eating a healthy diet, avoiding processed foods, and adding more green vegetables and fruits to your diet, you can protect yourself from gastric cancer.
Also, adding too much salt in the diet is also a cause of stomach cancer. Studies show that this is the main reason for the high incidence of gastric cancer among Japanese people. This is because they are more prone to gastric cancer due to their high salt intake.
Therefore, avoiding eating too much salt in food can also protect against this cancer. In general, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can prevent gastric cancer or any other cancer from attacking the body.