Cancer Of StomachFree availability of medicines from the organizations, little learning and “It will not happen to me” are some of the dangerous notions. Stomach cancer affects insidiously without much clear cut symptoms; often mimic acid related problems. All the above notions add fuel to fire, in delaying consultation with the appropriate health care personnel.
A doctor friend of a bureaucrat, accidentally discovers proton pump inhibitor drugs used to suppress stomach acid, in the drawer of his friend; and inquires the cause of the use. He is a habitual chewer of tobacco in betel. He defends: since long he is using the drug for acid problem and feeling good, but recently there is a little aggravation in spite of its use. The doctor friend of his advises for an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy; and eventually a much advanced cancer of stomach was detected. Needless, to to say that, only a food bypass surgery was possible; the patient passed away some six months later. So, this is the worst result of self medication and self diagnosis. Another patient was virtually dragged and subjected to endoscopy by his wife, but still it was late; a resection of stomach was done and perhaps he survived for some three to four years.
Frequently, symptoms pertaining to stomach cancer like pain abdomen, vomiting, vomiting of blood and obstruction to passage of food come later; than more ambiguous symptoms like dyspepsia, acidity and heart burn etc., which are suppressed by acid inhibitors. “New dyspepsia in old” should be viewed suspiciously and a very affordable and accessible investigation like endoscopy is to be advised. If accompanied by anemia, weight loss, black stool, lymph nodes (above the left collar bone in the neck and near umbilicus) are present; cancer of stomach is a presumptive diagnosis, unless proved otherwise.
H. Pylori infection present in areas with no access to safe drinking water, has been seen to be associated with it. That causes atrophic gastritis, a form of damage to the stomach inside lining called mucosa; and gradual transformation to cancer. Nitrosamines in contaminated food, cigarette smoking, some genetic predisposition and ingestion of hot spicy food are advanced as possible causes; in absence of knowledge of exact cause for it. More cases are seen in Japan where people are accustomed to taking smoked fish.
A very skeptical doctor and a cautious patient may contribute to the early diagnosis of many cancer stomach patients.
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Stomach cancer is found in most of the people. Men are more prone to this disease than compard to women. Smoking is one of the causes for stomach cancer. Unhealthy diet also leads to stomach pain and further cancer. There are many symptoms of stomach cancer like vomiting, weight loss, etc. For more details refer what causes cancer
ReplyDeleteYou are very much correct. The topic of discussion was how the symptoms may get masked by acid suppressing drugs.Thank you.
ReplyDeleteDear Doctor
ReplyDeleteThank you for this invaluable article on Stomach Cancer. I lost my mother to adenocarcinoma of the stomach. She had 75% of her stomach removed and after that, she could keep nothing down so literally starved to death over the year she had left on this earth.
Many of her cousins died of the same thing.
Does this mean that we as her children should all be tested for helicobacter pylori and if so, is it a blood test and how long does it take for results? I am asking this as one of my doctors merely pricked my thumb, put the smear under a microscope and said 'You are clear' I did not think it was that easy and that the blood should have gone to a lab.
My niece was recently found to have helicobacter pylori on gastroscopy and she is 15 years of age.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make some MEDICAL BLOGS because we realise how busy you must be and yet you are kind enough to share your knowledge in this way!
Dear Doctor
ReplyDeleteThank you for this invaluable article on Stomach Cancer. I lost my mother to adenocarcinoma of the stomach. She had 75% of her stomach removed and after that, she could keep nothing down so literally starved to death over the year she had left on this earth.
Many of her cousins died of the same thing.
Does this mean that we as her children should all be tested for helicobacter pylori and if so, is it a blood test and how long does it take for results? I am asking this as one of my doctors merely pricked my thumb, put the smear under a microscope and said 'You are clear' I did not think it was that easy and that the blood should have gone to a lab.
My niece was recently found to have helicobacter pylori on gastroscopy and she is 15 years of age.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make some MEDICAL BLOGS because we realise how busy you must be and yet you are kind enough to share your knowledge in this way!
Dear Judy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interest. I encountered for the first time such an interesting query, shall be glad to answer. One may remain cautious if any cancer runs in family. H.Pylori might have a role in cancer stomach, but predominantly it causes duodenal ulcer and gastritis. A person having family history of cancer may not subject himself or herself for H. Pylori test. It is assessed from ammonia content in breath liberated from the activity of urease enzyme in Helicobacter, but not confirmatory. It is needless to say that when somebody especially having family history of stomach cancer gets symptoms similar to acid problem should go for endoscopy. You may watch a video, http://clinispot.blogspot.com/2009/12/esophageal-erosion-and-duodenal-ulcer.html, about an ulcer. Optionally she or he may get an endoscopy done; may be sometime after forty if cancer stomach runs in family. A H.Pylori infection may be confirmed from examination of multiple biopsies(small bit of tissue) taken from stomach during endoscopy. However, that is not the only cause of cancer stomach. In fact, causes are not fully known.
In your instant case, you may go for an endoscopic examination of stomach, and repeat it, if sometimes symptoms likened to acid problem and loss of appetite are experienced by you. Tanks once again. You may e-mail me directly from my blog. Hope this will be useful for you.