Stomach Cancer Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

What is stomach cancer?

The cancer that tends to develop in your stomach is called stomach cancer. The stomach is responsible for receiving the food we eat, it holds and help it to break down, followed by digestion. Gastric cancer is another termed used for stomach cancer.

What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?

Few common symptoms of stomach cancer include:

Unintentional weight loss.
Persistent vomiting.
Stomach pain.
Unexplained and persistent nausea.
Unrelenting and severe indigestion.
Persistent and severe heartburn.
After consuming little quantity of food, feeling of fullness.
After consuming, feeling bloated.
Fatigue.

What causes stomach cancer?

What exactly causes the serious disease is still a mystery. Though there tends to be a strong connection between stomach cancer and a diet high in pickled, salted and smoked foods. Typically, cancer starts to develop when mutation, called error occurs in the DNA of cells. Such causes instant production and division of cells. These cells survive even after a normal cell expires. Building up of cancerous cells results in the formation of tumor.

What are the risk factors of stomach cancer?

Certain factors that increase the chances of developing stomach cancer are:

Consuming a diet deficient in vegetables and fruits.
Consuming a diet which is high in smoked and salty foods.
Chain smoking.
Consuming foods that are contaminated by aflatoxin fungus.
Stomach polyps.
Pernicious anemia.
If stomach cancer runs in your family.
Chronic stomach inflammation.

How is stomach cancer diagnosed?

Certain procedures and tests your doctor can suggest in order to diagnose the fatal disease include;

Upper endoscopy.
Imaging test- CT scan, barium swallow.

After being diagnosed with stomach cancer, the doctor will then take steps in order to identify what stage/ extent the cancer has reached. This will help the doctor structure a best treatment plan for your case. Few procedures and tests he or she can suggest for the purpose are:

Imaging tests: positron emission tomography and CT.
Exploratory surgery in order to seek for the signs which decides whether or not cancer has spread.

How is stomach cancer treated?

The treatment of stomach cancer depends upon few factors:

Your stage.
Treatment preferences.
Overall heath.
Your age.

Few treatment options of stomach cancer include:

Surgery.
Radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy.
Targeted drugs.

Prevention:

Since the exact cause of stomach cancer is a mystery, it leaves no particular way for us to prevent the fatal disease; however one can take certain steps in order to minimize its risk, just by making minute amendments in our lives.