What is Stomach Cancer?
Just below your ribs in the upper part of your abdomen, the stomach is present in the form of a muscular pouch. Your stomach takes in, retains, and aids in the breakdown and digestion of the food you eat. An uncontrolled cell proliferation that starts in the lining of the stomach wall is known as stomach cancer.
Stomach Cancer, also known as Gastric Cancer, is not easy to detect. In India, it is the fifth most common cancer among men and the seventh most common cancer among women. The fact that gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide demonstrates the disease’s aggressiveness and the need for improved therapeutic options.
Few aspects that doctors take into account while deciding your treatment options are the grade of the cancer, location of the cancer in your stomach and your general health among few others. Surgery is frequently used to remove stomach cancer as part of treatment. Prior to and following surgery, other therapies like chemotherapy and radiation could be suggested.
If you are suffering from any disease related to stomach or having stomach cancer, Dr. Dhaval Mangukiya is one of the best Stomach Cancer surgeon in Surat with his vast experience and highly specialised skills in gastro surgeries.
The classification of a stomach cancer depends on the type of tissue in which it first manifests:
- Adenocarcinomas, the most common form, start in the glandular stomach lining.
- Lymphomas are the second most common cancer affecting the stomach which arise from lymphatic system cancer that affects the body’s germ-fighting network.
- Sarcomas that involve connective tissue (muscle, fat, or blood vessels).
- Squamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, and carcinoid carcinoma are more varieties.
- Metastatic cancers from breast cancer, melanoma, and other primary cancer sites can also be found in the stomach.
Here is a detailed video on Stomach Cancer
Why does stomach cancer occur?
What specifically causes cancer cells to begin to proliferate in the stomach is unknown to scientists. However, they are aware of a few factors that can increase your risk for the illness. One of these is an infection with the H. pylori bacterium, which is a major cause of ulcers. You may be more susceptible to developing cancer if you have gastritis, a certain kind of long-lasting anaemia called pernicious anaemia, or polyps in your stomach.
Other elements that appear to contribute to increasing the risk include:
- Smoking
- Being obese or overweight
- Consumption of a lot of pickled, smoked, or salty foods
- Regular alcohol consumption
- A case of Epstein-Barr virus
- Specific genes
- Working in the rubber, lumber, metal, or coal industries
- Asbestos
- Family history of stomach cancer
There are a number of hereditary disorders linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer, including:
- Lynch disease
- Peutz-Jeghers disease.
- Syndrome of Li-Fraumeni.
- Adenomatous polyposis in the family.
- Diffuse gastric cancer that is hereditary.
- Immunodeficiency with common variations (CVID)
People with Type A blood have a higher incidence of stomach cancer, while it is unclear why this is the case.
What are the early signs & symptoms of Stomach Cancer?
The early indications of stomach cancer are frequently hazy. Heartburn, indigestion, changes in appetite, nausea, and vomiting can all be symptoms of stomach cancer.
- Decrease in appetite
- Difficulty in swallowing
- weakness or drowsiness
- vomiting and nausea.
- Unaccounted weight loss
- Indigestion and heartburn
- Vomiting blood or having black faeces
- Feeling bloated or gassy following a meal
- Stomach discomfort, frequently above the belly button
- Even after a modest meal or snack, having a feeling of being full
Many of these symptoms are also prevalent in other diseases. Check with your doctor to see whether your symptoms could indicate stomach cancer or another illness.
Do you have a stomach tumour that you can feel?
Depending on how far along the cancer is, your doctor might be able to feel a tumour in your stomach when performing a physical examination. The majority of the time, however, symptoms involve detecting stomach feelings. You might often experience pain, fullness, or swelling in your stomach.
As the condition worsens, the pain could begin as being modest before becoming more severe.
If you are suffering from any gastric problem you should always consult a best gastro surgeon in your area.
Does stomach cancer spread quickly?
The average time it takes for stomach cancer to develop is one year or more.
Early on, there are typically no symptoms (asymptomatic). Numerous symptoms may appear as the condition worsens.
How is gastric cancer detected?
Your healthcare professional will review your medical history, inquire about your symptoms, and conduct a physical exam during which they might feel a tumour in your abdomen. To identify and stage stomach cancer, they may request a number of tests.
Your doctor can gauge how far the cancer has progressed thanks to staging. Staging for stomach cancer varies from 0 (zero) to IV (four). Stage 0 indicates that the cancer has not progressed past the lining of your stomach. When it reaches stage IV, it has spread to other organs.
- Upper Endoscopy: The most common method for detecting stomach cancer is upper endoscopy. Your doctor will do the procedure by passing an endoscope—a thin tube with a tiny camera at its tip—through your mouth and into your stomach. The endoscope can accommodate small surgical tools, enabling your doctor to retrieve a tissue sample (biopsy). Cancer cells in the sample can be examined in a laboratory.
- Endoscopic Ultrasonography: A unique type of endoscopy called an endoscopic ultrasonography can help to stage the malignancy. The endoscope is equipped with an ultrasound probe that can be used to photograph your stomach. It can demonstrate whether the malignancy has progressed from the stomach lining to the stomach wall.
- Radiologic Test: A CT scan, barium swallow, and MRI are a few examples of radiologic procedures that can be used to find tumours and other anomalies that can be cancer-related. You consume a chemical that makes your stomach lining more discernible on an X-ray during a barium swallow. If cancer has spread throughout your body, a PET scan might reveal this.
- Blood Test: Blood testing might reveal details about the health of your body organs.
- Laparoscopy: When less intrusive techniques, like imaging, haven’t yielded sufficient results, your doctor may use laparoscopy, a type of surgery, to evaluate the spread of cancer. Dr. Dhaval Mangukiya is one of the best laparoscopic surgeon in surat, where in this surgery a tiny camera is inserted into tiny slits in your belly during a laparoscopy so your doctor can observe your organs up close.
Is stomach cancer curable?
Chemotherapy, radiation, and occasionally surgery can be used to treat symptoms and enhance quality of life in stomach cancer situations where the disease cannot be fully cured.
As long as all of the malignant tissue can be removed, surgery can treat stomach cancer.
A gastrectomy is a surgical procedure that involves removing all or part of the stomach. After a gastrectomy, you’ll still be able to eat normally, although you’ll probably need to reduce the amount of your portions.
Additionally, chemotherapy can be administered prior to surgery to help reduce the tumour and occasionally following surgery to help prevent the cancer from coming back.
If you have any problem related to Stomach or Stomach Cancer, you can contact us here