Did you know that stomach cancer is the sixth most common type worldwide, and the third cause of cancer-related deaths? 

What is stomach cancer?

Stomach cancer is a medical condition in which cells in any part of the stomach divide abnormally. It can appear anywhere, but it usually begins in the glandular tissue on the inner surface of the stomach.

Stomach cancer develops slowly in 95% of affected cases, spreading to the esophagus and nearby organs, such as the liver and pancreas.

Stomach cancer killed nearly 769,000 people worldwide in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?

Stomach cancer does not show symptoms in its early stages, so it is difficult to diagnose it until it has spread to other parts of the body. Below we mention to you the most important early and advanced signs of this condition.

What are the early symptoms of stomach cancer?

In the early stages, symptoms of stomach cancer may be similar to ulcers, and include the following:

• Feeling very full and satiated even after eating a small meal or light meal.
• صعوبة البلع.
• Feeling bloated after eating.
• Frequent burping.
• حرقة المعدة.
• عسر الهضم.
• Stomach pain, often above the belly button.
• Severe and trapped gases.
• Chest pain and stomach upset.
• Vomiting, which may sometimes contain blood.
• الشعور بالغثيان.

اقرأ أيضا : Early symptoms of lung cancer

What are the symptoms of advanced stomach cancer?

Patients experience the following symptoms in advanced stomach cancer:

• Swelling of the abdomen and a feeling of hardness and lumpiness when touched due to the accumulation of fluids in it.
• الإصابة بفقر الدم.
• Black stool containing blood.
• Feeling extremely tired and weak.
• فقدان الشهية المستمر.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Jaundice if the cancer reaches the liver.

What are the causes of stomach cancer?

Doctors do not know the cause of stomach cancer, but there are factors that increase the risk of developing it, such as:

• التدخين.
• Family history of stomach cancer. 
• Following unhealthy diets rich in fast food, fried foods, unhealthy fats, and salted and pickled foods.
• Age and gender, as infection rates increase after the age of 60 years, and are more common in men than in women.
• Obesity or overweight.
• Repeated infection with stomach bacteria, which causes ulcers.
• Peptic ulcer.
• Chronic atrophic gastritis.
• Pernicious anemia.
• Benign tumors of the stomach.
• Partial gastrectomy for ulcer disease.
• Inheritance of the genetic change that causes bowel disorders, familial adenomatous polyposis, and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.
• Blood type A.
• Suffering from some genetic syndromes, such as: Lynch syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
• Epstein-Barr virus infection.

How is stomach cancer diagnosed?

The doctor will first ask about symptoms, family and medical history, and what the patient eats.

The doctor will perform some examinations and tests to confirm the accuracy of his diagnosis, such as:

• Blood tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC), to measure the number of red and white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin.
• CT scan, CT scan, or MRI to find the location of the cancer cells.
• Upper endoscopy to take a sample or biopsy from the stomach and analyze it.

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How can stomach cancer be treated?

Treatment of stomach cancer depends on several factors, which include the severity of the condition, its type, and the patient’s general health, and includes the following:

Radiation therapy targets cancer cells in the stomach to eliminate them.

Chemotherapy, which relies on drugs that stop the growth and division of cancer cells.

Immunotherapy, which depends on giving medications that activate the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Surgery, which helps to partially or completely remove the stomach.

After you learned with us about the symptoms of stomach cancer and the factors that increase the risk of contracting it, you should know that early detection increases the probability of recovery to a large degree, so we advise you to undergo periodic examinations, blood tests, and tumor markers every 6 months after the age of 35 years.