Like any other cancer, stomach cancer begins when a mutation occurs in a cell's DNA which causes the cell to grow and divide at a rapid rate. These rapidly growing cells continue to live and accumulate cancerous cells to form tumor from where cancerous cells can break away, invade and spread to other organs. Stomach cancer usually begins in mucus-producing cells that line the stomach and is known as adenocarcinoma.
Causes Of Stomach Cancer
Though the exact cause of stomach cancer has not been established so far yet the development of Gastro-esophageal junction cancer is associated with Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease (GERD) i.e. backward flow of gastric contents into Esophagus. Other factors that may cause stomach cancer include Age, Gender, Geography, Ethnicity, and Obesity.
Gastric Lymphoma caused by Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) can also develop into stomach cancer. Prolonged stomach infection with H. pylori, can cause cancer in the lower part of the stomach.
Signs and Symptoms of Stomach Cancer
Signs and symptoms of Gastro-Esophageal junction cancer and other stomach cancers may include:
• Lack of appetite or unexplained weight loss
• Feeling bloated after eating
• Feeling full after eating small amounts of food
• Severe and persistent heartburn
• Severe and persistent indigestion
• Persistent nausea and/or vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Constipation or diarrhea
As stomach tumors grow, serious symptoms may appear as:
• Stomach pain
• Blood in stool
• Vomiting
• Unexplained Weight loss
• Dysphagia i.e. difficulty in swallowing
• Yellowish eyes or skin
• Swelling in stomach
• Weakness, Fatigue or tiredness
• Heartburn
Diagnosis of Stomach Cancer
On the basis of symptoms and family history, the gastroenterologist may conduct:
• Physical examination of swollen lymph nodes, check skin and eyes, if found yellow and investigate for abdominal fluid
• Upper GI series test i.e. Barium meal test to take X-rays of esophagus and stomach
• Endoscopy -- to look into the stomach with an endoscope
• Biopsy – to confirm the presence of stomach cancer
However, more tests are conducted to check the stages of stomach cancer.
Treatment Options For Stomach Cancer
Treatment of stomach cancer largely depends on size, place of tumor, stage of disease besides the general health of the patient. Treatment Options For Stomach Cancer Usually Involve:
Surgery: the most common treatment for stomach cancer
Gastro-esophageal junction cancer that has not spread requires surgery for removal of part of the esophagus or small intestine.
The goal of surgery is to remove cancer and a margin of healthy tissue along with nearby lymph nodes.
Surgery for patients of stomach cancer is performed for:
• Removing early-stage tumors from stomach lining using endoscopy called endoscopic mucosal resection procedure.
• Removing a portion of stomach i.e. Subtotal gastrectomy to remove only cancer affected a portion of the stomach.
• Removing the entire stomach i.e. Total gastrectomy involves removing the entire stomach and some surrounding tissue.
• Removing lymph nodes to look for cancer
The surgery basically relieves signs and symptoms of a growing tumor in patients with advanced stomach cancer but cannot cure stomach cancer of advanced stage.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is done with high-powered beams of energy, like X-rays and protons to destroy cancer cells. Radiation therapy is used before surgery as a neoadjuvant treatment in gastro-esophageal junction cancer or cancer of the stomach body. Radiation therapy is also used as an adjuvant radiation therapy after surgery to kill cancer cells that might have been left during surgery of esophagus or stomach. Radiation therapy shrinks the tumor so that it may be easily removed. Before stomach cancer surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are mostly administered at the same time.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is administered using chemicals through the bloodstream to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the blood and kill cancerous cells that may have spread beyond the stomach. Chemotherapy is a neo-adjuvant treatment that is given before surgery to shrink the tumor for more easy removal. Chemotherapy is also used after surgery as adjuvant chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells that might remain in the body. Often chemotherapy is often combined with radiation therapy.
Targeted Drugs
Among the latest therapies for stomach cancer, many targeted drugs have been isolated and are being employed to direct the patient’s immune system to kill cancer cells or attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targeted drugs are often used in combination with standard chemotherapy drugs.
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Refer Sucess Story: Dr. P Jagannath Successful in Performing Inexplicable Stomach Cancer Surgery
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