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Awareness of Stomach Cancer
Most of the symptoms of Stomach Cancer are similar to the symptoms of Acidity, Mild abdominal pain or Gastritis.
So the patients ignore these early signs, resulting in a late diagnosis.
Know how to identify symptoms early by reading further
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What are the Causes of Stomach Cancer?
Stomach cancer usually develops in the background of Gastritis. There are certain chemicals that might lead to stomach cancer.
The primary substance responsible for the maximum number of cases of stomach cancer is tobacco, smoking and alcohol.
Various chemicals from this substance cause irritation in the stomach, cause Gastritis and, over a period of years, result in Cancer.
Symptoms of Stomach Cancer?
Cancer’s early signs and symptoms are similar to other minor health issues.
That’s why it’s important to watch them and get diagnosed if these early symptoms persist.
The most common primary signs of stomach cancer include:
- Mild abdominal pain
- Persistent Acidity
- Unnatural weight loss
- Heaviness in the stomach
Once the Cancer starts spreading rapidly in the body, patients frequently vomit and might develop jaundice.
Stomach cancer is most prevalent in the age group of 50 to 60 years.
Unfortunately, the age of Indian patients diagnosed with stomach cancer as compared to USA or European patients is 5 to 10 years younger.
These cancers are quite aggressive, and the treatments might not prove 100% successful in some cases.
Moreover, no screening tests are available to diagnose stomach cancer at the early stages or pre-cancer stage.
You might want to Read : Ayurveda and Homeopathy For Cancer
How is Stomach Cancer Diagnosed?
- Upper GI Endoscopy:
This is one of the most important and efficient tests to diagnose Stomach Cancer.
This test helps your specialist identify any lesion, ulcer or cancerous tumour.
The collected samples are sent for tests, and the results normally come after a day or two.
- PET Scan:
PET scan is another major test that’s commonly used to identify the stage of Cancer.
Treatment of Stomach Cancer
There has been ground-breaking research and studies recently in terms of the treatment for Cancer.
In the past, it was believed that if the stomach cancer was in the early stage, it should be removed surgically, and then Chemotherapy should be provided, if necessary.
But in the past couple of years, the practice has changed.
Now specialists offer Chemotherapy even if the Cancer has advanced locally to reduce its extent.
Once done, then only they perform surgery. This radical change in approach is very effective.
So even if the patient has Cancer in the early stage, we give them chemo initially and then perform surgery on the shrunken tumour.
As we already mentioned, almost 50% of stomach cancers are diagnosed at the advanced stages. In such cases, the only treatment option is Chemotherapy.
But over time, the process of Chemotherapy has evolved too.
Have queries or concern ?
Stomach Cancer Prevention
The primary causes of stomach cancer are Tobacco, Smoking and Alcohol.
So the best prevention of stomach cancer is to avoid these three substances completely.
Moreover, if you have chronic Gastritis or severe acidity, get the treatment at the earliest. Moreover, a healthy lifestyle is also a great way to prevent stomach cancer.
Avoid oily and spicy food, drink enough water and adopt a healthy diet.
Wrapping up
We would like to make you aware readers that the results of advanced-stage stomach cancer are not very good.
The survival period of stage 4 stomach cancer is less than 1 year. Very few patients respond well to the treatments at such a late stage and live up to 2 years.
So we strongly recommend that if you have any signs or symptoms of Cancer that are persistent for 15 days or a month, it’s time to consult your doctor.
The symptoms include simple indigestion to severe vomiting. Because if stomach cancer is detected in an early stage, the treatment results are comparatively better.
About Author
Dr. Tushar Patil
Oncologist
Contact: +91 88888 22222
Email – ask@sahyadrihospitals.com
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