Stomach Cancer

28 May, 2021

Dr. Rajesh Bollam

Stomach cancer

Overview

Stоmасh cancer is аn аbnоrmаl grоwth оf сells thаt begins in the stоmасh. The stоmасh is а musсulаr sас lосаted in the uррer middle оf yоur аbdоmen, just belоw yоur ribs. Yоur stоmасh reсeives аnd hоlds the fооd yоu eаt аnd then helрs tо breаk dоwn аnd digest it.

Stоmасh саnсer, аlsо knоwn аs gаstriс саnсer, саn аffeсt аny раrt оf the stоmасh. In mоst оf the wоrld, stоmасh саnсers fоrm in the mаin раrt оf the stоmасh (stоmасh bоdy).

Stоmасh саnсer is mоre likely tо аffeсt the аreа where the lоng tube (esорhаgus) thаt саrries fооd yоu swаllоw meets the stоmасh. This аreа is саlled the gаstrоesорhаgeаl junсtiоn.

Where the саnсer оссurs in the stоmасh is оne fасtоr dосtоrs соnsider when determining yоur treаtment орtiоns. Treаtment usuаlly inсludes surgery tо remоve the stоmасh саnсer. Оther treаtments mаy be reсоmmended befоre аnd аfter surgery.

Symptoms

Signs аnd symрtоms оf stоmасh саnсer mаy inсlude:

Diffiсulty swаllоwing

Feeling blоаted аfter eаting

Feeling full аfter eаting smаll аmоunts оf fооd

Heаrtburn

Indigestiоn

Nаuseа

Stоmасh раin

Unintentiоnаl weight lоss

Vоmiting

When to see a doctor

If yоu hаve signs аnd symрtоms thаt wоrry yоu, mаke аn арроintment with yоur dосtоr. Yоur dосtоr will likely investigаte mоre-соmmоn саuses оf these signs аnd symрtоms first.

Causes

It's nоt сleаr whаt саuses stоmасh саnсer, thоugh reseаrсh hаs identified mаny fасtоrs thаt саn inсreаse the risk.

Dосtоrs knоw thаt stоmасh саnсer begins when а сell in the stоmасh develорs сhаnges in its DNА. А сell's DNА соntаins the instruсtiоns thаt tell the сell whаt tо dо. The сhаnges tell the сell tо grоw quiсkly аnd tо соntinue living when heаlthy сells wоuld die. The ассumulаting сells fоrm а tumоur thаt саn invаde аnd destrоy heаlthy tissue. With time, сells саn breаk оff аnd sрreаd (metаstаsize) tо оther аreаs оf the bоdy.

Risk factors

Fасtоrs thаt inсreаse the risk оf stоmасh саnсer inсlude:

Gastroesophageal reflux disease

Obesity

A diet high in salty and smoked foods

A diet low in fruits and vegetables

Family history of stomach cancer

Infection with Helicobacter pylori

Long-term stomach inflammation (gastritis)

Smoking

Stomach polyps

Prevention

To reduce the risk of stomach cancer, you can:

Maintain a healthy weight. If you're overweight or obese, talk to your doctor about strategies to help you lose weight. Aim for a slow and steady weight loss of 1 or 2 KGs a month.

Choose a diet full of fruits and vegetables. Try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet each day. Choose a wide variety of colourful fruits and vegetables.

Reduce the amount of salty and smoked foods you eat. Protect your stomach by limiting these foods.

Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit. If you don't smoke, don't start. Smoking increases your risk of stomach cancer, as well as many other types of cancer. Quitting smoking can be very difficult, so ask your doctor for help.

Ask your doctor about your risk of stomach cancer. Talk with your doctor if you have an increased risk of stomach cancer. People with a strong family history of stomach cancer might consider tests, such as endoscopy, to look for signs of stomach cancer.

Diagnosis and treatment

Tests and procedures used to diagnose stomach cancer include:

A tiny camera to see inside your stomach (upper endoscopy). A thin tube containing a tiny camera is passed down your throat and into your stomach. Your doctor can use it to look for signs of cancer.

Removing a sample of tissue for testing (biopsy). If any suspicious areas are found during the upper endoscopy, special tools can be used to remove a sample of tissue for testing. The sample is sent to a lab for analysis.

Imaging tests. Imaging tests used to look for stomach cancer include CT scans and a special type of X-ray exam called a barium swallow.

Determining the stage of stomach cancer

The stage of your stomach cancer helps your doctor decide which treatments may be best for you. Tests and procedures used to determine the stage of cancer include:

Blood tests. Blood tests to measure organ function may indicate whether other organs in your body, such as your liver, may be affected by cancer.

Endoscopic ultrasound. During an endoscopic ultrasound, a thin tube with a camera on the tip is passed down your throat and into your stomach. A special ultrasound tool is used to create pictures of your stomach. Endoscopic ultrasound helps doctors determine how deeply a cancer penetrates the stomach wall.

Imaging tests. Tests may include CT and positron emission tomography (PET).

Exploratory surgery. Your doctor may recommend surgery to look for signs that your cancer has spread beyond your stomach, within your chest or abdomen. Exploratory surgery is usually done laparoscopically. This means the surgeon makes several small incisions in your abdomen and inserts a special camera that transmits images to a monitor in the operating room.

Other staging tests may be used, depending on your situation.

Your doctor uses the information from these procedures to assign a stage to your cancer. The stages of stomach cancer are indicated by Roman numerals that range from 0 to IV, with the lowest stages indicating that the cancer is small and affects only the inner layers of your stomach. By stage IV, the cancer is considered advanced and may have spread to other areas of the body.

Treatment

Treatment options for stomach cancer depend on the cancer's location, stage and aggressiveness. Your doctor also considers your overall health and your preferences when creating a treatment plan.

Surgery

The goal of surgery is to remove all of the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it.

Surgeries used for stomach cancer include:

Removing early-stage tumors from the stomach lining. Very small cancers limited to the inside lining of the stomach may be removed by passing special tools through an endoscope. Procedures to cut away cancer from the inside lining of the stomach include endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal resection.

Removing part of the stomach (subtotal gastrectomy). During subtotal gastrectomy, the surgeon removes the part of the stomach affected by cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it. This operation may be an option if your stomach cancer is located in the part of the stomach nearest the small intestine.

Removing the entire stomach (total gastrectomy). Total gastrectomy involves removing the entire stomach and some surrounding tissue. The esophagus is then connected directly to the small intestine to allow food to move through your digestive system. Total gastrectomy is used most often for stomach cancers that affect the body of the stomach and those that are located in the gastroesophageal junction.

Removing lymph nodes to look for cancer. The surgeon may remove lymph nodes in your abdomen to test them for cancer.

Surgery to relieve signs and symptoms. An operation to remove part of the stomach may relieve signs and symptoms of a growing cancer in people with advanced stomach cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs travel throughout your body, killing cancer cells that may have spread beyond the stomach.

Chemotherapy can be given before surgery to help shrink the cancer so that it can be more easily removed. Chemotherapy is also used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that might remain in the body. Chemotherapy is often combined with radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy may be used alone or with targeted drug therapy in people with advanced stomach cancer.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of energy, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. The energy beams come from a machine that moves around you as you lie on a table.

For stomach cancer, radiation therapy can be used before surgery to shrink the cancer so that it's more easily removed. Radiation therapy can also be used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that might remain. Radiation therapy is often combined with chemotherapy.

For advanced stomach cancer that can't be removed with surgery, radiation therapy may be used to relieve side effects, such as pain or bleeding, caused by a growing cancer.

Targeted drug therapy

Targeted drug treatments focus on specific weaknesses present within cancer cells. By blocking these weaknesses, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. For stomach cancer, targeted drugs are usually combined with chemotherapy for advanced cancers or cancer that comes back after treatment.

Your doctor may test your cancer cells to see which targeted drugs are most likely to work for you.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a drug treatment that helps your immune system to fight cancer. Your body's disease-fighting immune system might not attack cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that make it hard for the immune system cells to recognize the cancer cells as dangerous. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process.

For stomach cancer, immunotherapy might be used when the cancer is advanced, if it comes back or if it spreads to other parts of the body.

Supportive (palliative) care

Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. Palliative care specialists work with you, your family and your other doctors to provide an extra layer of support that complements your ongoing care. Palliative care can be used while undergoing aggressive treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

When palliative care is used along with all of the other appropriate treatments, people with cancer may feel better and live longer.

Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses and other specially trained professionals. Palliative care teams aim to improve quality of life for people with cancer and their families. This form of care is offered alongside curative or other treatments you may be receiving.

#DrRajeshBollam #HematoOncologist #Hematolgist #Oncologist #Cancer #stomachcancer #CancerDoctor #Hyderabad #secunderabad

For more visit: www.drrajeshoncologist.com

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