Am I At Risk For Developing Stomach Cancer
There are some people at a higher risk for developing stomach cancer due to other medical conditions such as:
- H Pylori infection
- Previous Epstein-Barr infection
- Pernicious anemia or growths in your stomach called polyps
And there are things we eat or habits that can cause you to be more likely to develop stomach cancer such as:
- Being overweight
- Eating a diet high in smoked, pickled, salty foods or highly processed foods
- Drinking alcohol
Age is also a factor. As you get older youre more likely to develop stomach cancer, as well as other types of cancer. It seems to develop more often in men, and in people with Type A blood.
Changes In Genes In Stomach Cancer Cells
Recent research has provided clues on how some stomach cancers form. For instance, H pylori bacteria, particularly certain subtypes, can convert substances in some foods into chemicals that cause mutations in the DNA of the cells in the stomach lining. This may help explain why certain foods such as preserved meats increase a persons risk for stomach cancer. On the other hand, some of the foods that might lower stomach cancer risk, such as fruits and vegetables, contain antioxidants that can block substances that damage a cells DNA.
Stomach cancers, like other cancers, are caused by changes in the DNA inside cells. DNA is the chemical that carries our genes, which control how our cells function. We look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than how we look.
Some genes control when cells grow, divide into new cells, and die:
- Genes that normally help cells grow, divide, and stay alive can sometimes change to become oncogenes.
- Genes that help keep cell division under control, repair mistakes in DNA, or cause cells to die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes.
Cancers can be caused by DNA changes that keep oncogenes turned on, or that turn off tumor suppressor genes.
How Stomach Cancer Spreads
There are 3 ways stomach cancer can spread:
- directly the cancer can spread from the stomach into nearby tissues and organs, such as the pancreas, colon, small intestine and peritoneum
- through the lymphatic system the lymphatic system is a series of glands located throughout your body, similar to the blood circulatory system the glands produce specialised cells needed by your immune system to fight infection
- through the blood which can cause the cancer to spread from the stomach to other parts of the body, most commonly the liver
Stomach cancer that spreads to another part of the body is known as metastatic stomach cancer.
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Cancer May Spread From Where It Began To Other Parts Of The Body
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began and travel through the lymph system or blood.
- Lymph system. The cancer gets into the lymph system, travels through the lymph vessels, and forms a tumor in another part of the body.
- Blood. The cancer gets into the blood, travels through the blood vessels, and forms a tumor in another part of the body.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if gastric cancer spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the liver are actually gastric cancer cells. The disease is metastatic gastric cancer, not liver cancer.
How Do I Prepare For Life After Stomach Cancer Surgery
Most surgeries for stomach cancer are minimally invasive, performed through tiny incisions with robotic assistance. This has helped with completing surgery in a way that leads to fewer complications, which means improved quality of life for patients who must eat differently once their stomachor a part of itis removed.
Recovering from stomach cancer surgery is unique in that it can have long-term consequences on diet and lifestyle, which is why selecting the right care team to help you before, during, and after surgery is so important, Dr. Turaga says, adding that many patients who have part of their stomach removed have a close-to-normal quality of life once they recover.
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How Can I Prevent Stomach Cancer
Treat stomach infections. If you have ulcers from an H. pylori infection, get treatment. Antibiotics can kill the bacteria, and other drugs will heal the sores in the lining of your stomach to cut your risk of cancer.
Eat healthy. Get more fresh fruits and vegetables on your plate every day. Theyâre high in fiber and in some vitamins that can lower your cancer risk. Avoid very salty, pickled, cured, or smoked foods like hot dogs, processed lunch meats, or smoked cheeses. Keep your weight at a healthy level, too. Being overweight or obese can also raise your risk of the disease.
Donât smoke. Your stomach cancer risk doubles if you use tobacco.
Watch aspirin or NSAID use. If you take daily aspirin to prevent heart problems or NSAID drugs for arthritis, talk to your doctor about how these drugs might affect your stomach.
Show Sources
American Cancer Society: “Can Stomach Cancer Be Found Early,” “Treatment Choices by Type and Stage of Stomach Cancer,” “Chemotherapy for Stomach Cancer,” “Radiation Therapy for Stomach Cancer,” “Targeted Therapies for Stomach Cancer.”
Mayo Clinic: “Stomach Cancer.”
How Has Treatment For Stomach Cancer Improved
Stomach cancer treatment is less invasive and more effective than it used to be. Advances in precision medicine and in physicians understanding of stomach cancer help determine the best treatment for each patient, which may include single or combination therapies, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and surgery.
Imaging tools have also made stomach cancer treatment decisions more precise, Dr. Turaga adds. I think the biggest advance in this field is our understanding of how extensive a surgery like this needs to beand whether it can be less extensive, he says, adding that factors include the type and number of lymph nodes removed. In certain cases, if the cancers are diagnosed very early, they can be cut out with the endoscope in a simple procedure.
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Treating Metastatic Lung Cancer
Treating metastatic lung cancer is challenging. This stage of cancer may continue to spread, and small bits of the disease may linger in the body and cause a recurrence, even if the treatment appears successful. Therefore, treatment will typically focus on extending and bettering life by relieving symptoms and controlling the cancerâs growth. A few things to consider:
- If you have advanced lung cancer, ask your doctor what to expect from treatment.
- You may even want to seek a second opinion from another doctor to ensure youre satisfied with your treatment plan.
- Your care team will weigh the benefits of treatment with the potential side effects and how these may impact your health and well-being.
If the cancer has metastasized to one other siteparticularly the braina typical course of treatment may begin with surgery and radiation therapy to target the area where the cancer spread. Then, the focus shifts to the lung, where treatment may include some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation .
More often, though, cancers at this stage may be too widespread and require systemic treatments that attack the cancer throughout the body.
The first consideration in choosing a systemic treatment is whether there are specific genetic changes in the primary lung tumor that may be targeted. If so, targeted therapy drugs designed to act on these gene changes would likely be the first choice. Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or both, also may be options.
What Are The Main Causes Of Stomach Cancer
There is no single cause of stomach cancer and sometimes it happens without any known risk factors. Lifestyle choices can increase the likelihood of stomach cancer. However, those who experience long-term stomach inflammation from either lifestyle choices or chronic illness are at higher risk.
The common causes of stomach cancer are often related to a medical history that includes:
- H. pylori bacterial infections: A common stomach infection that often causes ulcers.
- Tumors: Other tumors occurring elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Stomach polyps: Abnormal tissue growth in the stomach lining.
There are lifestyle changes you can make that may decrease your risk of stomach cancer. These include:
- Having a healthy diet and avoiding
- Processed foods
- Salted foods or increased sodium
Risk factors for stomach cancer that you cannot change, include:
- Being of Asian, South American or Belarusian descent
- Having a family history of stomach cancer
- Having a history of stomach surgery
- Having pernicious anemia, which is a vitamin deficiency that may be related to either lifestyle or disease
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How Do You Treat Stomach Cancer In Dogs
The most common treatments for stomach cancer in dogs are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. In addition to these mainstream approaches, modern cancer in dogs treatment often involves holistic approaches.
Below you will find a summary of the treatment process and options.
Surgical Resection of the Tumor. For tumors that have not yet spread to other organs, surgery may be present as the best option. In dogs where the tumor blocks the stomach, bypass surgery may be performed. Bypass surgery involves curative resection of the stomach. The surgical intervention requires anesthesia which may be risky for elderly dogs.
Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of specific drugs to kill off cancer cells. It is the best option for malignant tumors that have spread to other areas of the body. Radiation is not a common treatment option for stomach cancer due to the high risk of damaging nearby vital organs like the liver and pancreas.
In most stomach cancer cases, a combination of two treatments will be used. As a pet owner, you can play a major role in ensuring your dog lives a comfortable life during treatment. This is where holistic approaches kick in.
Symptoms Of Gastric Cancer Include Indigestion And Stomach Discomfort Or Pain
These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by gastric cancer or by other conditions.
In the early stages of gastric cancer, the following symptoms may occur:
- Indigestion and stomach discomfort.
- Weight loss for no known reason.
- Trouble swallowing.
Check with your doctor if you have any of these problems.
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Age Diet And Stomach Disease Can Affect The Risk Of Developing Gastric Cancer
Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer not having risk factors doesn’t mean that you will not get cancer. Talk with your doctor if you think you may be at risk. Risk factors for gastric cancer include the following:
- Having any of the following medical conditions:
- Eating a diet high in salted, smoked foods and low in fruits and vegetables.
- Eating foods that have not been prepared or stored properly.
- Being older or male.
- Having a mother, father, sister, or brother who has had stomach cancer.
How Stomach Cancer Develops
The stomach is a large pouch shaped like a J that connects the esophagus to the intestines, and is where the food you eat is partially digested before being passed through to the small intestine. It expands and contracts and has the capacity to hold a large volume of food and fluids.
Stomach cancer develops when cancer-causing substances from foods come into contact with the layers lining the stomach, or when a condition that causes inflammation changes the character of the stomach lining. There a few conditions that may lead to this disease:
- Helicobacter pylori infection, or H. pylori, is a type of bacteria that causes stomach infection. It may be involved with changes to cells that turn them from normal to cancer.
- Chronic atrophic gastritis creates problems in the immune system, causing it to attack cells in the stomach wall. This condition is related to H. pylori infection and may lead to cancer, but it is not known exactly how.
- Intestinal metaplasia leads to changes to cells that line the stomach, so that they resemble cells in the intestine. This condition is suspected to play a role in stomach cancer.
- Intestinal dysplasia are premalignant lesions that may transform into cancer over time if left untreated.
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Can You Treat Stomach Cancer By Changing Your Diet
Using a healthy diet to treat stomach cancer is not enough to cure cancer, but you can talk to your doctor about using it as part of a medical plan to improve your overall health. Those who eat a diet rich in produce like fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains may decrease their risk for stomach cancer. However, some studies show that increasing plant-based foods reduces the risk of fatal stomach cancer in men, but not women. Talk with your healthcare provider about your dietary options.
What About Other Treatments I Hear About
You might hear about other ways to treat the cancer or to treat your symptoms. These may not always be standard medical treatments. These treatments may be vitamins, herbs, special diets, and other things.
Some of these are known to help, but many have not been tested. Some have been shown not to help. A few have even been found to be harmful. Talk to your doctor about anything youre thinking about using, whether its a vitamin, a diet, or anything else.
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For Connecting And Sharing During A Cancer Journey
Anyone with cancer, their caregivers, families, and friends, can benefit from help and support. The American Cancer Society offers the Cancer Survivors Network , a safe place to connect with others who share similar interests and experiences. We also partner with CaringBridge, a free online tool that helps people dealing with illnesses like cancer stay in touch with their friends, family members, and support network by creating their own personal page where they share their journey and health updates.
Who Gets Stomach Cancer
Men are twice as likely to get stomach cancer as women. The disease occurs most often in people over the age of 55. People with Type A blood are also at higher risk of stomach cancer.
Stomach cancer is more common in African Americans than in whites.
The disease is also more common in some parts of the world, including Japan, Korea, parts of Eastern Europe and Latin America. People in these areas eat many foods that are preserved by drying, smoking, salting or pickling, placing the individuals at increased risk of stomach cancer.
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Stomach Cancer Risk Factors
Although the exact cause of stomach cancer is not known, certain factors seem to increase your risk of developing the disease. These include:
Gender: The majority of stomach cancer patients are male.
Age: Most individuals who develop stomach cancer are older than 55, although stomach cancer can be diagnosed in younger individuals. According to the National Cancer Institute, the median age at diagnosis is 68 years old.
Ethnicity: In the United States, stomach cancer occurs more often in Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian/Pacific Islanders than in non-Hispanic whites.
Geography: Stomach cancer is more prevalent in Japan, China, Southern and Eastern Europe, and Central and South America than in Northern and Western Africa, South Central Asia, and North America. This may be due to differences in diet, the rate of infection with Helicobacter pylori , and the environment.
Infection with Helicobacter pylori : This type of bacteria is a common cause of stomach ulcers and may cause chronic inflammation in the stomach lining. This sometimes leads to pre-cancerous changes in cells, increasing the risk of stomach cancer.
Exposure to chemicals: People who work around certain chemicals have a higher risk for stomach cancer. These include:
- Those working in the rubber, metal, coal and timber industries
- Those who have been exposed to asbestos fibers
Obesity: People who are obese have a higher risk of cancer in the part of the stomach nearest the esophagus.
- Pernicious anemia
How Can You Treat Stomach Cancer
The treatments for stomach cancer vary depending on the type of cancer you have, its location in the body, if it is advanced and your personalized care plan. At The University of Kansas Cancer Center, we offer clinical trials that may provide new treatment options for stomach cancer.
Possible options include:
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What Causes Stomach Cancer
Your stomach is just one part of the upper section of your digestive tract. Your stomach is responsible for digesting food and then moving the nutrients along to the rest of your digestive organs, namely the small and large intestines.
Stomach cancer occurs when normally healthy cells within the upper digestive system become cancerous and grow out of control, forming a tumor. This process generally happens slowly. Usually, stomach cancer develops over many years.
There are several factors that might increase your risk of developing cancerous cells in your stomach. These risk factors include certain diseases and conditions, such as:
- H. pylori bacterial infections
- tumors in other parts of the digestive system
- inherited genetic syndromes, such as Lynch syndrome and Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Stomach cancer is also more common among:
- older adults, usually people in their 60s and older
- people who are overweight or with obesity
- people with a family history of the disease
- people who are of Asian , South American, or Eastern European descent
While your personal medical history can impact your risk of developing stomach cancer, certain lifestyle factors can also play a role. You may be more likely to get stomach cancer if you:
- eat a lot of salty or processed foods
- weight loss without a clear cause