Gastric+Cancer

Gastric Cancer

**Emma Culleton**
**Statistics:**


 * Several different types of cancer can occur in the stomach. The most common type is called adenocarcinoma, which is found in the lining of the stomach
 * It is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the world
 * In the United States, stomach cancer is currently the 14th most common cancer.
 * Stomach cancer rates have declined dramatically over the past half century due to improvements in sanitation, refrigeration, antibiotics, and diet
 * It is most common in Japan, Chile, and Iceland

**Facts:**
Stage 0- abnormal cells are found in the inside lining of the mucosa (the innermost layer) of the stomach wall. These abnormal cells may become cancerous.

Stage II- cancer has spread to 2 or more lymph nodes. It has also spread to the subserosa, submucosa, and/or the serosa (outermost layer of the stomach)

Stage IIIA- Cancer has spread to the subserosa and/or serosa. Cancer is present in 7 or more lymph nodes.

Stage IIIB- Cancer has spread to nearby organs (spleen, colon, pancreas, liver, kidneys) and is in 1-2 lymph nodes near the tumor.

Satge IIIC- cancer has spread to organs (spleen, colon, pancreas, liver, kidneys) and is in 3 or more lymph nodes.

Stage IV- cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

**Symptoms:**
 * Abdominal fullness or pain
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Dark stools
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none;">Difficulty swallowing, which becomes worse over time
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Excessive belching
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">General decline in health
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Loss of appetite
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Nausea
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Vomiting, which may contain blood
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Weakness or fatigue
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Weight loss

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Diagnosis:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Diagnosis is often delayed because symptoms don’t show until the later stages of cancer.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In addition, patients commonly mistake the symptoms of gastric cancer with gastrointestinal disorders (bloating, gas, heartburn, and a sense of fullness).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A complete blood count (to check for anemia)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> An Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with biopsy to examine the stomach tissue
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A Stool Test (to check for blood in the stools)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Prevention:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Mass screening programs have been successful at detecting disease in the early stages in Japan, where the risk is very high. The value of screening in the United States and other countries with lower rates of gastric cancer has not been confirmed.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Treatment:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A Gastrectomy is the only treatment that can cure the condition
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Radiation and chemotherapy may also help after surgery
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Tumors in the lower stomach are cured more often than those in the higher stomach
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">When the tumor has spread outside the stomach, a cure is not possible and the goal of treatment is to improve symptoms and quality of life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Risk Factors:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Have a family history of gastric cancer
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Had a polyp larger than 2 centimeters in your stomach
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Have inflammation and swelling of the stomach (chronic atrophic gastritis)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Have pernicious anemia
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Smoke

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Risk Reduction:** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Don't smoke
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables and limited salt intake
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Take a medication to treat reflux disease, if you have it

[]

[|http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/278744-overview]

[|http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/gastric/Patient/page2#Keypoint9]

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