Stomach cancer is a comparatively rare type of cancer.
If you have certain digestive problems, you should consult a doctor.
The stomach is an indispensable organ.
All of the food and drinks that you eat end up there.
Then the food is
processed into a pulp
with the help of
gastric juice
and
transported
further to the
small intestine
in small steps
.
Cancer of the stomach
(gastric carcinoma)
is often recognized late because the first symptoms are not always clear.
Even so, there are some signs that you should see a doctor for.
We inform you about
symptoms, causes and therapy options.
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Stomach cancer: origins and causes
95% of
the gastric
cancer
originates
from the
glandular tissue of the gastric mucosa
.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, around
14,000 people
fall ill every year
- compared to other types of cancer, gastric cancer is relatively rare.
At the same time, men are more often affected than women.
What exactly triggers the disease is very different and not exactly known.
Nevertheless, there are some
risk factors
that can make stomach cancer more likely.
These include:
Excessive alcohol consumption
Frequent consumption of foods that are heavily salted, cured or smoked
Few fruits and vegetables
Chronic inflammation of the stomach lining caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori
Anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency
EBNV infection (glandular fever)
Gastric surgery
Genetic predisposition (increased risk especially if the disease is already present in parents, siblings or children)
More on the topic:
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Stomach cancer: If you have these symptoms, you should see a doctor
The symptoms associated with stomach cancer are rather unspecific, according to the cancer information service.
Often gastric cancer does not cause any symptoms at first.
The first clues can be digestive problems such as
nausea, loss of appetite and stomach pain
.
Later on, there are also a number of signs that you should see a doctor to clarify the cause:
difficulties swallowing
Frequent nausea and vomiting (possibly from blood)
Loss of appetite
unexplained weight loss
Anemia
Unusually dark stool
Sensation of pressure / fullness and / or pain in the upper abdomen
Reduced performance over a long period of time
If there is a well-founded suspicion of stomach cancer, a so
-called gastroscopy occurs
.
The doctor guides a thin tube with a video camera through the esophagus and into the stomach.
Also,
tissue samples
can be so removed and examined.
Surgery and chemotherapy - treatment of stomach cancer
Treatment for gastric cancer depends on where the tumor is and how far it has spread.
If the cancer is discovered very early and is limited to the
superficial mucous membrane
, it is sufficient to remove it with a gastroscopy
(endoscopic resection).
If it has already penetrated deeper tissue, a
more extensive operation is
necessary.
Here are
parts of the stomach
or the entire organ
removed
, and possibly also the lower part of the
esophagus
, the
spleen
or a part of the
pancreas
.
In addition,
chemotherapy
, also in combination with
radiation
, can be part of the therapy.
If the stomach cancer has progressed too far and the tumor can no longer be removed properly, doctors use so-called
palliative therapy with medication
.
This treats the symptoms caused by the disease and is intended to provide relief for the patient.
In addition, the therapy can extend the patient's survival and improve their quality of life.
New drugs and types of treatment are constantly being investigated.
Immunotherapy
, for example, is very promising
.
(lw)
*
Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network
.
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Sources
:
krebsgesellschaft.de, patienten-information.de
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