Stomach Cancer - Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

Cancer of the stomach refers to malignant tumors which attack the stomach--also known as gastric cancer.  The stomach is the human or animal organ which holds and stores ingested food and liquids.  its found just beneath the rib cage-s lower portion, over on its left side. The esophagus connects the stomach to the throat and mouth.  It contains acid which aids in digestion.  The stomach is quite muscular, and through use of its muscles and the acids, foods are broken down so that nutrients from the food can occur.  Unfortunately, the correct of the stomach is harmed by the presence of a malignant tumor.
 
A tumor is a mass of cells which grow unusually fast, abnormally, and out of control.  A tumor is said to be benign if cell growth is uncontrolled, but there is no invasion of other tissues and it does not spread.  A malignant tumor, o the other hand, is one in which cells invade other tissues and are able to spread to other parts of the body. This we also refer to as cancer.  Thus, gastric cancer is when the stomach lining's cells experience out of control growth, forming tumors which invade other tissue and can spread to other areas throughout the body.
 
Around 22,000 new cases of gastric cancer are diagnosed each year, with around 11,000 deaths annually.  Since 1930, the incidence of gastric cancer has dropped dramatically, probably due to changes in diet or the environment.  Some has also theorized that refrigerated food has contributed to this decline. 
 
Gastric cancer seems to be twice as common in males as in females, and more common also in African-Americans than in Anglo-Americans.  It almost always strikes after age 40, with the likelihood increasing every year after.  There are two categories of stomach cancer:  intestinal and diffuse.  Diffuse gastric cancer normally has a worse prognosis.
 
Gastric cancer appears to strike proportionately more people worldwide than in the U.S.  Indeed, around the world, it's the second highest cause of cancer-related death, with only lung cancer more fatal.  Again, it's presumed that this is because of dietary differences.  It's possible that diets that are heavily salted and smoked increase the chance of gastric cancer.  Although there seems to be no link with alcohol tobacco, there is a basis for believing that tobacco use increases one's chance for the disease.
 
It also seems there is a genetic link with some forms of gastric cancer, and people with blood type A for some reason have a higher chance off getting the disease.
 
However, there is not one risk factor that appears to be "the major" cause of gastric cancer.  For this reason, there has been no discovered lifestyle change that significantly decreases a person's chance of developing this affliction.  However, by concentrating on a western diet, without the use of a lot of salted or heavily smoked foods, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, it's likely that one will lower his odds of getting gastric cancer somewhat.
 
Because most of gastric cancer's symptoms are nonspecific, most people will not discover the disease until it's advanced.  Some symptoms include abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite, belching, occasional vomiting, and a decreased capability of eating large meals.  However, these are quite similar to symptoms experienced when a person has gastritis or a peptic ulcer--making stomach cancer hard to detect.  As a result, the cancer is often caught only as a side-result of visiting a doctor for other reasons.
 
Whenever gastric cancer is detective, curative measures always involve surgical resection of the cancer.  Normally this means the smallest amount of surgery that is feasible while still managing to remove all the cancer.
 
Patients whose gastric tumor is not caught until late usually require the additional treatment option of either radiation therapy or chemotherapy.  Radiation involves the use of high-energy x-rays for treatment, to kill the cancer cells.  Chemotherapy accomplishes this by sending medications that are deadly to the cancer cells throughout the person's body.  Radiation therapy is painless and quick, but takes 6 to 8 weeks worth of treatment, five days a weak.  Chemotherapy has some unfortunate side effects causing nausea, diarrhea, and more.