The Shocking Truth About Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer is the third most common form of cancer in the world, and it affects both men and women from all racial groups. It's also known as gastric cancer or gastric carcinoma. The tumors may be benign or malignant. Symptoms often develop gradually over months to years, which means that many people don't realize they have stomach cancer until they have advanced disease. Gastric cancer is more common in Japan, China, Eastern Europe, Mexico, South America and less common in the United States and Western Europe.

What is stomach cancer?

Stomach cancer is a tumor that originates in the lining of the stomach. These tumors typically grow slowly and can be treated when detected early on, making it one of the most curable cancers. Over time, however, stomach cancer can spread to other parts of the body and become incurable. This cancer is most common in people who are age 65 or older or those who have undergone gastric bypass surgery in which the upper part of their stomach is surgically removed. Additionally, stomach cancer often disproportionately affects African Americans for unknown reasons.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of stomach cancer can be nonspecific and may not even make you think it is stomach cancer. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. Depending on the stage of cancer, a person might also have jaundice or easy bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract. You should consult your doctor if you experience any new symptoms that last more than two weeks or are worsening. What Causes It?: Most cases of stomach cancer start with an infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). 

What's The Treatment?: There are different treatments depending on the type and severity of your case. If it's in early stages, surgery to remove part or all of the stomach (gastrectomy) is usually recommended with chemotherapy for treatment. Some people may only need chemotherapy treatment as well as antibiotics to cure H. pylori infection.

Who’s at risk?

Those most at risk for stomach cancer are people over 50, smokers, heavy drinkers, and those who suffer from chronic ulcers. More men than women get stomach cancer. For males there is a 4-5% lifetime risk of getting stomach cancer if they have one or more of the high-risk factors. This goes up to 10% if two or more high-risk factors are present. Women experience a slightly lower risk than men but can still be at an increased risk depending on their age and other factors such as smoking status. Women also have a longer life expectancy after treatment for gastric cancer which can cause long term side effects due to the higher levels of radiation needed to treat them (McAndrew et al., 2002).

How do you prevent it?

There are many risk factors for stomach cancer that cannot be controlled, such as diet and genetics. There are some things you can do to decrease your risk, however. People should avoid chewing betel nuts which increase the risk of developing stomach cancer. Seek medical attention if any chronic stomach problems persist. Drink tea in moderation and drink coffee sparingly because they may increase the chances of developing cancer. There is also a gene mutation found in families who have a history of esophageal cancer that they want to avoid by not consuming hot beverages or food more than once a day.

Getting diagnosed

Cancer is an immensely terrifying word, but a necessary one. It's often looked down upon as something that has to do with old people, when in reality it doesn't matter how old you are, the most important thing is to be aware of your body and make sure everything feels normal. When I had my first stomachache, I assumed it was just some tummy bug that I had picked up at school or from my friends. One day I started feeling bloated and sick, which was weird because I don't normally have those issues. After complaining about it for a few days (or even hours) things got worse, so then my mom went out and bought me medicine for indigestion or whatever was wrong with me. But it didn't work. Eventually I started getting really sick and was throwing up all the time, like every 20 minutes sometimes. My mom took me to urgent care and they said they thought I might have an ulcer or gallstones and sent us home with painkillers. A week later we were at another urgent care center where this doctor finally diagnosed me with Stage 2 cancer in my stomach and lymph nodes. The doctors explained that if we hadn't found it early enough, there would've been serious consequences-like life-threatening surgery-and death could've been possible too.

Treatment options

There are treatments that may help reduce symptoms or slow stomach cancer's growth. Treatment options can depend on the type of stomach cancer diagnosed and how far it has progressed. They may include: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapies and endoscopic treatments. 

For some people with certain types of stomach cancer, treatment may not be needed because their disease is so small it will never cause a problem. For those who are diagnosed at an earlier stage and need treatment to get well, they should talk to their health care team about their options. As always, there is no one size fits all when it comes to treating stomach cancer.

Palliative care and end-of-life planning

Palliative care is a form of relief that treats your symptoms, meaning it can help make you feel better with fewer or no side effects. Many times, palliative care is used to lessen the pain of a disease or condition in someone’s last days or weeks of life. Here are three essential things to keep in mind: 

-Do your research and speak with your doctor about what kind of treatment options might be best for you based on your specific needs. 

-Talk with friends and family members about their wishes if they were facing these circumstances—what kind of treatment would they want? 

-Get legal documents like advanced directives in place so that everyone knows how to act in case something does happen.