Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a type of cancer that develops slowly over many years. Most frequently, stomach cancer starts in the lining of the stomach otherwise knows as the mucosa, and then develops into the other layers of the stomach. There are many ways in which stomach cancer spreads. In some cases it invades near by organs or it can also travel through the bloodstream to for cancer in other organs. There are many statistics and organizations of support for stomach cancer, as well as, symptoms, risk factors, screening and diagnosis’ and, treatments.
Like all cancers, stomach cancer is a deathly disease and one of the major leading causes of cancer deaths in countries other than the U. S. In 2008, only in the US, there will be approximately 21,500 new cases of stomach and about 10,880 will die of stomach cancer. The average age that people are diagnosed with stomach cancer is 71 because it is usually a disease that only older people get. Just about two thirds of the people who get stomach cancer are over the age of 65 or older. Also the risk of someone getting stomach cancer in their lifetime is about 1 in 100 but the risk is slightly higher in men than in women.
Despite this stomach cancer is a leading cause of death in countries of the world. Until the 1930’s it was a leading cause of death in the U. S but has recently been on the decline. These are the statistics of stomach cancer. There are also many organizations supporting cancer. The wellness community is one of the organizations supporting cancer patients and helps to let them know that they are not alone. Gilda’s Club is also an organization supporting cancer and their goal is to develop strategies and activities to bring their worldwide group together to support the community of cancer patients.
These are just a couple of the many great organizations and foundations supporting cancer. Because stomach cancer develops so slowly symptoms are not clear until the cancer is more fully developed and there also aren’t many symptoms to know if you have stomach cancer. Some of the symptoms are things like aching in the stomach, feeling bloated, weight loss, or nausea and vomiting. Most of the symptoms of stomach cancer can be signs of other health issues and usually are not stomach cancer though.
There is no way to tell if you have stomach cancer but if you have any of these symptoms you should go to the doctor as soon as possibly just to be sure. There are many risk factors for stomach cancer. Gender is a minor risk factor because men are more likely to get stomach cancer than women are. Age is a risk factor as well because most people are over the age of 65 when they are diagnosed with stomach cancer. Ethnicity is a big risk factor because the rate cancer is higher in Hispanics and African-Americans rather than non-Hispanic white.
Tobacco use is a risk factor for stomach cancer along with most of every other type of cancer. Smoking doubles the risk for someone to get cancer. It has been proven that people with Type A Blood are more likely to get stomach cancer as well. Some other risk factors are things like bacteria infection, diet, earlier stomach surgery, stomach polyps, and oddly enough, some occupations in coal, metal, and rubber industries are even risk factors of stomach cancer. There are a few different ways to be diagnosed and/or screened for stomach cancer. One way is an upper endoscopy.
This allows the doctor to see anything not normal in the GI tract that wouldn’t be shown in an x-ray. Risks of this procedure usually don’t happen but if they do they include bleeding and perforation of the stomach lining. Another procedure to be screened for stomach cancer is a stomach x-ray that allows the doctor to examine the esophagus as well as the stomach. After these screenings if it is found that you may have stomach cancer the doctor may perform procedures such as endoscopic ultrasounds, a computerized tomography scan, a chest x-ray, or an MRI.
There are many treatments for stomach cancer and the treatment you receive depends on the location of the cancer, how advanced the cancer is, and also your personal preference and health. Surgery is one of the more popular treatments of cancer. During the surgery you would usually have most if not all of your stomach removed and then the remaining part of your stomach is connected to your esophagus and small intestine. Usually chemotherapy before and after the surgery helps the outcome. Chemotherapy uses drugs to help kill cancer cells that remain after surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body. Radiation therapy is also a treatment for stomach cancer.
During this therapy x-rays with very high energy levels are used to kill cancer cells. Lastly sometimes all that’s needed to treat one type of gastric cancer is antibiotic therapy. As you can see stomach cancer is a very complicated disease and has a very high death rate. Stomach cancer is very difficult to detect if you do not get screened so people should be very cautious to go to the doctors if they feel as symptoms of stomach cancer.Most people don’t have to worry until they are in their 60’s about stomach cancer but it is always better to be cautious.
Works Cited http://www. revolutionhealth. com/conditions/cancer/stomach-cancer/diagnosis? id=4545F9D7-17A0-4275-9C296401969A8E11§ion=section_06 http://www. gildasclub. org/ http://www. thewellnesscommunity. org/ http://www. medicinenet. com/stomach_cancer/article. htm http://www. cancer. org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_stomach_cancer_40. asp.