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Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. This disease is a result of the growth of cancerous and malignant cells in the inner lining of the stomach.
Stomach cancer does not grow overnight as this disease usually grows slowly over many years. Some pre-cancerous changes take place before true cancer actually develops. But these early changes rarely result in any symptoms and therefore, often go undetected in the early stage when it is most easy to treat it.
Gastric cancer can grow through the wall of the stomach and invade nearby organs. It can easily spread to the lymph vessels and lymph nodes. In an advanced stage, it can travel through the bloodstream and spread or metastasize to organs such as the liver, lungs, and bones. Usually, people diagnosed with stomach cancer have either experienced metastasis already or eventually develop it.
Stomach cancer should not be confused with other cancers in the abdomen or esophageal cancer. Some other cancer can also occur in the abdomen, including cancer of the large and small intestine, liver or pancreas. These cancers may have different symptoms, outlook, and options for treatment.
Some other types of stomach cancers include squamous and small cell carcinoma and leiomyosarcoma. These cancers are very rare.
There is no single, definite cause behind stomach cancer. However, several stomach cancer risk factors have been identified that could potentially lead to the formation to a tumor in the stomach. Some of these stomach cancer causes or risk factors include:
There can be several early stomach cancer symptoms. However, the signs of stomach cancer could be present because of some other underlying condition as well. Unfortunately, this is the main reason why it is difficult to make stomach cancer diagnosis at an early stage.
Some of the early stomach cancer symptoms may include:
But just experiencing indigestion or heartburn after a meal does not really mean that you have cancer. Although, if you experience these symptoms a lot, talk to your doctor, who can decide whether to conduct further tests or not.
As advanced gastric cancer grow, you may experience more serious signs of stomach cancer, including the following:
It is important to diagnose the type and stage of gastric cancer before performing any procedure to relieve the symptoms. Before the treatment, you must inform your doctor about all the discomfort or symptoms that you are experiencing. It is important to provide complete and detailed information to the doctor because that will help with correct diagnosis and treatment in the future.
Typically, your doctor will ask about the symptoms, family history, eating habits, and medical history before the diagnosis of gastric cancer. After that, a few physical examination can be conducted to check for stomach tenderness or lumpiness.
Usually, stomach cancer is diagnosed by carrying out the following tests:
As soon as the cancer is confirmed, the doctor uses a sample of tissue from the biopsy to confirm stomach cancer stage. It is important to identify the stage of stomach cancer before preparing a treatment plan and its execution.
There are different types of stomach cancer stages, depending on the extent of cancer or its invasiveness. The stages are described as per the TNM system, wherein ‘T’ describes the size of the tumor, ‘N’ represents whether or how many lymph nodes are affected and ‘M’ represents whether or how far the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The following table highlights the different types of stomach cancer stages and what do they actually mean.
Stage | Sub-stage | What does it mean? |
Stage 0 | - | It represents a very early stage stomach cancer and that the cancerous cells are restricted within the innermost lining of the stomach. |
Stage 1 | Stage 1A | It represents the stage wherein the cancer is still restricted to the innermost lining and the lymph nodes are not affected (T1N0M0). |
Stage 1B | It represents the stage wherein cancer has:
| |
Stage 2 | Stage 2A | It represents the stage wherein cancer is/has:
|
Stage 2B | It represents the stage wherein cancer is/has:
| |
Stage 3 | Stage 3A | It represents the stage wherein cancer has:
|
Stage 3B | It represents the stage wherein the cancer has:
| |
Stage 3C | It represents the stage wherein cancer has:
| |
Stage 4 | - | It means that the cancer is in its advanced stage and has reached to distant organs such as the bones, brain, and lungs. |
There are many options for stomach cancer treatment. Your specialist will choose the most appropriate treatment plan for you, depending on the stage of your cancer.
Most often, a combination of the following stomach cancer treatment options is used to remove tumor:
Stage 0 stomach cancer treatment: It is mostly treated with the help of an endoscopic surgery.
Stage 1 stomach cancer treatment: It is mostly treated with the help of an endoscopic surgery, followed up with a few session of chemotherapy. Sometimes, the surgeon may advise you to undergo a few session of chemotherapy before the surgery as well.
Stage 2 stomach cancer treatment: Surgery is the main treatment option followed by chemotherapy. If you decide against the surgery, a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be used.
Stage 3 stomach cancer treatment: A few cycles of chemotherapy are conducted before the surgery, followed up with a surgery. Following the surgery, a few cycles of chemotherapy are repeated, followed by radiation therapy.
Stage 4 stomach cancer treatment: Chemotherapy is the main treatment option for such patients. A surgery can be conducted to control the symptoms. Radiotherapy could be used if needed to relieve symptoms.
Recovery after stomach cancer treatment can take a long time. You may need special palliative care to manage the discomforting symptoms such as extreme pain. With constant support from the doctors, friends, nurses and family members, the health eventually feels better and you are able to experience an improved quality of life.
You may not be able to eat properly or by your own immediately after the surgery. However, you are able to return back to your normal routine in a few days. Planning and managing regular chemotherapy visits after the surgery can be difficult.
Discuss with your doctor about specific side effects that you are likely to face after chemotherapy. The doctor will give you specific medications that will help relieve specific symptoms such as nausea, weakness, vomiting, joint pain, and headache.
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Q: Can stomach cancer be prevented?
A: By avoiding smoking, eating a healthy diet and avoiding spicy and salty foods, the risk of getting stomach cancer can be reduced.
Q: Is stomach cancer genetic?
A: A few cases of stomach cancer tend to run in families. However, the association has not been confirmed as yet.
Q: Is Stage 4 stomach cancer curable?
A: Since Stage 4 stomach cancer has spread to the distant organs, it is not always possible to treat it. The symptoms of stomach cancer, at this stage, can only be controlled.
Q: What are the first signs of stomach cancer?
A: A feeling of fullness, heartburn, nausea, and vomiting are some of the earliest signs of stomach cancer.
Q: What is the survival rate for stomach cancer?
A: The 5-year survival rate in the case of Stage 1 and Stage 2 stomach cancer is around 65 percent. The same is around 30 percent for Stage 3 and Stage 4 stomach cancer.