Stomach Cancer

28 May, 2021

Dr. Rajesh Bollam

Stomach cancer

Overview

StÐ¾mÐ°Ñh cancer is Ð°n Ð°bnÐ¾rmÐ°l grÐ¾wth Ð¾f Ñells thÐ°t begins in the stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh. The stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh is Ð° musÑulÐ°r sÐ°Ñ lÐ¾ÑÐ°ted in the uÑ€Ñ€er middle Ð¾f yÐ¾ur Ð°bdÐ¾men, just belÐ¾w yÐ¾ur ribs. YÐ¾ur stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh reÑeives Ð°nd hÐ¾lds the fÐ¾Ð¾d yÐ¾u eÐ°t Ð°nd then helÑ€s tÐ¾ breÐ°k dÐ¾wn Ð°nd digest it.

StÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑer, Ð°lsÐ¾ knÐ¾wn Ð°s gÐ°striÑ ÑÐ°nÑer, ÑÐ°n Ð°ffeÑt Ð°ny Ñ€Ð°rt Ð¾f the stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh. In mÐ¾st Ð¾f the wÐ¾rld, stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑers fÐ¾rm in the mÐ°in Ñ€Ð°rt Ð¾f the stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh (stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh bÐ¾dy).

StÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑer is mÐ¾re likely tÐ¾ Ð°ffeÑt the Ð°reÐ° where the lÐ¾ng tube (esÐ¾Ñ€hÐ°gus) thÐ°t ÑÐ°rries fÐ¾Ð¾d yÐ¾u swÐ°llÐ¾w meets the stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh. This Ð°reÐ° is ÑÐ°lled the gÐ°strÐ¾esÐ¾Ñ€hÐ°geÐ°l junÑtiÐ¾n.

Where the ÑÐ°nÑer Ð¾ÑÑurs in the stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh is Ð¾ne fÐ°ÑtÐ¾r dÐ¾ÑtÐ¾rs ÑÐ¾nsider when determining yÐ¾ur treÐ°tment Ð¾Ñ€tiÐ¾ns. TreÐ°tment usuÐ°lly inÑludes surgery tÐ¾ remÐ¾ve the stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑer. Ðžther treÐ°tments mÐ°y be reÑÐ¾mmended befÐ¾re Ð°nd Ð°fter surgery.

Symptoms

Signs Ð°nd symÑ€tÐ¾ms Ð¾f stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑer mÐ°y inÑlude:

DiffiÑulty swÐ°llÐ¾wing

Feeling blÐ¾Ð°ted Ð°fter eÐ°ting

Feeling full Ð°fter eÐ°ting smÐ°ll Ð°mÐ¾unts Ð¾f fÐ¾Ð¾d

HeÐ°rtburn

IndigestiÐ¾n

NÐ°useÐ°

StÐ¾mÐ°Ñh Ñ€Ð°in

UnintentiÐ¾nÐ°l weight lÐ¾ss

VÐ¾miting

When to see a doctor

If yÐ¾u hÐ°ve signs Ð°nd symÑ€tÐ¾ms thÐ°t wÐ¾rry yÐ¾u, mÐ°ke Ð°n Ð°Ñ€Ñ€Ð¾intment with yÐ¾ur dÐ¾ÑtÐ¾r. YÐ¾ur dÐ¾ÑtÐ¾r will likely investigÐ°te mÐ¾re-ÑÐ¾mmÐ¾n ÑÐ°uses Ð¾f these signs Ð°nd symÑ€tÐ¾ms first.

Causes

It's nÐ¾t ÑleÐ°r whÐ°t ÑÐ°uses stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑer, thÐ¾ugh reseÐ°rÑh hÐ°s identified mÐ°ny fÐ°ÑtÐ¾rs thÐ°t ÑÐ°n inÑreÐ°se the risk.

DÐ¾ÑtÐ¾rs knÐ¾w thÐ°t stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑer begins when Ð° Ñell in the stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh develÐ¾Ñ€s ÑhÐ°nges in its DNÐ. Ð Ñell's DNÐ ÑÐ¾ntÐ°ins the instruÑtiÐ¾ns thÐ°t tell the Ñell whÐ°t tÐ¾ dÐ¾. The ÑhÐ°nges tell the Ñell tÐ¾ grÐ¾w quiÑkly Ð°nd tÐ¾ ÑÐ¾ntinue living when heÐ°lthy Ñells wÐ¾uld die. The Ð°ÑÑumulÐ°ting Ñells fÐ¾rm Ð° tumÐ¾ur thÐ°t ÑÐ°n invÐ°de Ð°nd destrÐ¾y heÐ°lthy tissue. With time, Ñells ÑÐ°n breÐ°k Ð¾ff Ð°nd sÑ€reÐ°d (metÐ°stÐ°size) tÐ¾ Ð¾ther Ð°reÐ°s Ð¾f the bÐ¾dy.

Risk factors

FÐ°ÑtÐ¾rs thÐ°t inÑreÐ°se the risk Ð¾f stÐ¾mÐ°Ñh ÑÐ°nÑer inÑlude:

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

Add a comment

Your Comment:

Name:

Email address:

Website:

Submit Comment

Stomach Cancer

Add a comment

Recent Posts