STOMACH CANCER (also
called: Gastric Cancer)
Stomach cancer mostly affects older people – two-thirds
of people who have it are over age 65. Your risk of getting
it is also higher if you
- Age: Most people with this
disease are 72 or older.
- Sex: Men are more likely
than women to develop stomach cancer.
- Race: Stomach cancer is
more common in Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic,
and African Americans than in non-Hispanic white
Americans.
- Diet: Studies suggest that
people who eat a diet high in foods that are smoked,
salted, or pickled may be at increased risk for stomach
cancer. On the other hand, eating fresh fruits and
vegetables may protect against this disease
- Helicobacter pylori infection:
H. pylori is a type of bacteria that commonly lives
in the stomach. H. pylori infection increases the
risk of stomach inflammation and stomach ulcers.
It also increases the risk of stomach cancer, but
only a small number of infected people develop stomach
cancer.
Although infection increases the risk, cancer is not
contagious. You cannot catch stomach cancer from another
person who has it.
- Smoking: People who smoke are more likely to develop
stomach cancer than people who do not smoke.
- Certain health problems: Conditions that cause inflammation
or other problems in the stomach may increase the risk
of stomach cancer:
• Stomach surgery
• Chronic gastritis (long-term inflammation of
the stomach lining)
• Pernicious anemia (a blood disease that affects
the stomach)
- Family history: A rare type of stomach cancer runs
in some families.
Most people who have known risk factors do not develop
stomach cancer. For example, many people have H. pylori
in their stomach but never develop cancer. On the other
hand, people who do develop the disease sometimes have
no known risk factors.
It is hard to diagnose stomach cancer
in its early stages. Indigestion and stomach discomfort
can be symptoms of early cancer, but other problems can
cause the same symptoms. In advanced cases, there may
be blood in your stool, vomiting, unexplained weight
loss, jaundice or trouble swallowing. If you think you
may be at risk, you should talk with your doctor. Your
doctor may be able to suggest ways to reduce your risk
and can plan a schedule for checkups. Because it is often
found late, it can be hard to treat stomach cancer. Treatment
options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a
combination.
on-line tools
To
estimate your risk of stomach cancer and learn
about ways to lower that risk, take a few minutes
to answer some questions about your health, background,
and lifestyle. To take the questionnaire online please
click here
Stomach cancer is fairly rare
in the US, but it’s very common in other parts of
the world, like Asia. It's often called a “silent”
disease because it doesn't usually have any symptoms
in the early stages.
MedlinePlus will direct you to information
to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus brings
together authoritative information from NLM, the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies
and health-related organizations. MedlinePlus also
has extensive information about drugs, an illustrated
medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials,
and latest health news. Please make sure you check
the MedlinePlus online for unterine cancer with an
extensive, constantly updated resource list. Please
click here
stomach Cancer RESOURCES on-line
The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and
the American Cancer Society (ACS) among
others, provide many on-line cancer resources. Please
make sure you visit their constantly updated websites,
reflecting the latest scientific findings and visit
the links for more information about cervical cancer.
has up-to-date information for patients
and practitioners about unterine cancer. To go to NCI
main web page please
click here
is
the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization
dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem
by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing
suffering from cancer, through research, education,
advocacy, and service. To get to the ACS
stomach cancer information pages please
click here
Printed materials to download
This section has pdf
(Adobe Acrobat format) files of useful resources created
by various agencies that can be downloaded directly
from the pacificcancer.org website. The organization,
year of publication and size of the pdf file are listed.
This NCI booklet informs about possible causes, screening,
symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care.
You will also find ideas about how to cope with the
disease. NCI
2006, 44 pages (pdf 468K). To download the pdf file please
click here
ASCO Answers is
a series of fact sheets that provides an introduction
to a specific type of cancer. Each fact sheet is a
PDF that includes an overview of what the cancer is,
an illustration of where the cancer starts, how it
is treated, terms to know, and questions to ask the
doctor.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2008. 2 pages (pdf 292K). To download
the pdf please
click here.
Acknowledgment: This text is adapted
from the NCI website.
