Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer is basically the growth of cells that start in the stomach. The stomach is in the upper middle part of the navel, just below the ribs.

Stomach cancer can occur anywhere in the stomach. In most cases of stomach cancer, the cancer occurs in the main part of the stomach called the trunk.

The stomach is a part of the digestive system and, as it is known, ensures the digestion of food. There are some factors that determine how serious stomach cancer is. Some of these are how big the cancer is, whether it has spread, and how well the patient's overall health is.

In this article, we mention first the symptoms of stomach cancer and diangosing stomach cancer, test and procedures. In the second part of the article, you can read about the treatment options for stomach cancer, coping with stomach cancer, emotional and psychological well-being. In the final part of the article, you can read about preventing stomach cancer including lifestlye changes and screening.

Symptoms of Stomach Cancer

There are many symptoms of stomach cancer and some of them can be lined up as below:

• Heartburn
• Swallowing problems
• Fatigue and low energy
• Indigestion
• Feeling of fullness very quickly while eating
• Loss of appetite or weight loss
• Pain in the upper abdomen

Bear in mind that these symptoms are same or simular for many other diaseses. It is always best to visit a medical expert and let them to understand your condition. That is also important for an early diagnosis which helps a lot for a better treatment of stomach cancer.

Diagnosing Stomach Cancer: Tests and Procedures

If you have stomach cancer symptoms, your healthcare provider will want to make sure they are really caused by stomach cancer. Screning is a strogn tool for diasnosing stomach cancer.

Your doctor may ask you about your personal and family medical history to learn about your possible risk factors for stomach cancer. Depending on this, your doctor may recommend tests to find out if you have stomach cancer and if any tumor or carcinoma exists.

The result of all these will help your doctor and you a lot in planning the treatment.

After you've been diagnosed with stomach cancer, you will need more testing. In this way, it is revealed at what stage the cancer is. In addition, applications such as ultrasound scanning, CT scan and laparoscopy will be used to better understand your condition.

Upper endoscopy is an effective method for early detection of gastric cancer. An endoscope is inserted from the mouth to the esophagus. This instrument may also have an apparatus for performing a biopsy. Thus, a multi-faceted examination is realized.

Treatment Options for Stomach Cancer

There are different treatments for stomach cancer. To get the most benefit, you and your doctor should work as a team on a plan that includes more than one type of treatment. Clinical trials are also being continued in that field. In this planning, the stage of the cancer, the general health of the patient and personal preferences are also important. Your doctor also will explain you prognosis and recurrence risk in your conditon.

Some of the treatment for stomach cancer can be lined up as below:

• Endoscopic mucosal resection: Endoscopic mucosal resection is a procedure that used in early stages of stomach cancer.

• Surgery: Surgery is a very common method used in the treatment of stomach cancer. The type of surgery is decided according to the stage and location of the cancer. In addition, additional treatments can be applied along with surgery.

• Gastrojejunostomy: Gastrojejunostomy is the name given to the removal of the part of the stomach that prevents the cancerous part from opening into the small intestine.

Coping with Stomach Cancer: Emotional and Psychological Well-being

Coping with cancer is not an easy task. Supportive care is important at that point. Every cancer treatment has possible side effects and these can cause both physical and psychological changes in the patient. Staging of cancer is one of the main factors for treatment. Since the situation of each patient is different, the same result may not be obtained even if the same treatment is applied. For this reason, cancer treatment should be considered as a long and diverse process.

Talking to your doctor about the course of your health is an effective form of motivation. They will want to know if the treatments have any side effects and offer new solutions accordingly.

It is normal for a person diagnosed with cancer to show emotional reactions and make changes in their social life according to this new situation. Since each patient is an individual, everyone's reaction will be different. While some patients are withdrawn, others may want to tell their loved ones about the situation and share their feelings. Getting professional support is also among the options. Additionally, you can receive palliative care, if your medical expert considers it necessary

Preventing Stomach Cancer: Lifestyle Changes and Screening

It can be said that the main elements of supportive care in stomach cancer are the same or similar to those recommended for other cancer types. In this sense, lifestyle changes should be seen as a key point in the fight against cancer, including stomach cancer. 

Prevention is an important factor for general heath. In one respect, preventing stomach cancer is considered best way of treatment. The best to do avoid stomach cancer and any cancer type is to change your lifestyle to a healthier one. An healthy diet and regular exercises are the main factors to achieve that goal. Some of the other factors that help you preventing stomach cancer can be lined up as below:

• Stop smoking and avoid other tobacco products
• Maintain an healty weight
• Reduce or stop alcohol consuming
• Travel more and get new hobbies

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