Stomach Cancer Symptoms

What is stomach cancer?

When cells present inside the stomach gets changed, stomach cancer results. In the Western Europe, this cancer is common in only one third of the people of 50 years old.

The place of tumors inside the stomach has also varied. Most of the tumors occur at the location where stomach connects the small bowel.

Stomach cancer is commonly occurred in the Japan and Japanese developed effective and an intensive approach to showing for stomach cancer.

Causes of stomach cancer:

Because of heredity means genes inherited from the parents and environmental factors such as smoking, diet etc, stomach cancer occurs. Risk factors responsible for causing the stomach cancer are given below:

Age: People those having age 72 or more than that affected with this disease.
Sex: Stomach cancer is developed in men more than women.
Race: Stomach cancer is common in Pacific Islander, Asian, Hispanic, and the African Americans
Diet: Those people who eat the food which are highly salted, smoked or picked may be increased the risk. On the other hand, eating vegetables and fresh fruits protect from the disease.
Smoking: The people who smokes are develop more smoke than the people who don't smoke.
Certain health problems: Conditions which cause other problems regarding the stomach, increase the risk of the stomach cancer. Following are some of the situations regarding stomach:
- Stomach surgery
- Chronic gastritis
- A blood disease affecting the stomach known as pernicious anemia
Family history: A typical type of stomach cancer occurs in some families.

Fresh vegetables, milk, frozen food and vitamin C food helps for reducing the risk of stomach cancer.

Stomach cancer symptoms:

Stomach cancer in early stage does not show any particular stomach cancer symptoms. After growing the cancer, common stomach cancer symptoms are given below:

Discomfort in the stomach area
Loss of weight
Feeling bloated or full after a small meal
Vomiting or nausea

Stomach cancer can grow unnoticeably and slowly. Stomach cancer symptoms may develop after increasing the cancer beyond the stomach, for example involving the liver. So in this case, symptoms would be cancer involving liver symptoms.

Internal bleeding appears such as blood vomiting, or tar like black faces and patient goes towards the doctor with the iron-deficiency anemia.

Extreme belching can be an embarrassing and early stomach cancer symptom. This can then moves towards unclear discomfort with the pain when tumor increases through walls of stomach.

As with cancer, it takes a long time, often some months, from the time when stomach cancer symptoms firstly appear to patient looking for medical advice. Due to this type of delay, tumor spreads and increases from curable to being non operable.

Diagnosis of stomach cancer:

If stomach cancer symptoms are identified then your doctor firstly finds out whether these symptoms are really about stomach cancer or not. Doctor may refer you to the gastroenterologist. Gastroenterologist is specialist in diagnosing and treating the digestive problems.

At starting, doctor asks about your family and personal health. You also have to do blood tests and other types of tests. Following are some of the tests:

Physical exam: The doctor tests the abdomen for swelling, fluid, or for some other changes. The doctor also thinks for swollen lymph nodes. Checks the skin and eyes to see if they get yellow.
Upper GI series: The doctor takes x-rays of esophagus and the stomach. After drinking the barium solution, x-ray must be taking. This solution is taking before x-ray because it shows stomach clearly on the x-ray.
Endoscopy: For looking in to the stomach, doctor makes use of lighted, thin tube (also known as endoscope). With an anesthetic spray, doctor numbs the throat firstly. Also take some medicines for relaxation. This thin tube is passed from mouth, esophagus to the stomach.
Biopsy: For removing the cancer tissues from stomach, doctor uses endoscope. A pathologist tests those tissues under the microscope for cancerous cells. A biopsy is the only particular way for knowing the cancer cells are present or not.

Treatment for stomach cancer:

Stomach cancer treatment depends on the various factors such as location of cancer, growth of cancer, overall health of the patient and own preference.

The aim of treatment is to completely remove the cancer. When it is not possible then second option is stop the cancer from growing and causing harm. Palliative care is some time best option. Palliative care does not aimed at slowing or removing the cancer but providing help for relieving the stomach cancer symptoms as possible.

Some of treatment options for stomach cancer are given below:

Surgery: Common treatment for stomach cancer is surgery. Depending on amount of cancer, doctor removes the all the stomach, affected part, or the tissues around the affected part. Lymph nodes present near the tumor may also remove at the time of surgery. After this remaining part of the stomach is linked to small intestine and esophagus. If entire stomach is removed then esophagus is directly connected with small intestine. Complete remove entire tumor and recovery is possible when stomach cancer is identified in early stage. Diagnosis generally does not possible until the cancer spreads throughout the wall of stomach, then surgery is not successful for removing the entire caner but it helps for stopping the pains, bleeding or the obstruction.
Chemotherapy: In this treatment drugs are used for killing the cancer cells. This drug is injected into the vein, and then it travels through the bloodstream and removes the cancer cells that present even after the surgery and those cells spread throughout the body. This therapy also used for controlling the growth of cancer and for reducing the advanced disease symptoms. In combination with other therapies, doctor always prefers this chemotherapy. Side effect of chemotherapy such as vomiting, nausea, fatigue, and occurs infection because of lack of white blood cells. These side effects are not common for all.
Radiation therapy: High energy x-rays are used in this therapy for killing the cancer cells. Chemotherapy affects on entire body but radiation therapy affects on only those part of the body through which beam of radiation can passes. The tissues get damaged to which radiation can touch, so doctor has to take precaution that harms least healthy tissues. Radiation therapy is used for treating the stomach cancer in combination with chemotherapy. It is also helpful for removing blockage and pains. Side effects occurs such as vomiting, nausea, fatigue and burn the skin same as sunburn where radiations enters in to the body.
Antibiotics: The person who have pylori-associated gastric lymphomas cured by therapy of antibiotic. This therapy eliminates the bacteria responsible for causing the cancer.

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