Gastric Cancer Diagnosis

While gastric cancers are on the decline, there are still thousands of deaths each year. Males are seven times more likely to contract gastric cancer than women. Diagnosis is most common between the ages of 40-70. While it is very hard to diagnose gastric cancers by a physical examination, vigilance and awareness of your body certainly aid in early detection and can make treatment more successful.

Risk Factors

• Gastric cancer is most commonly linked to other gastric ailments which often have a
  hereditary cause. Chronic atrophic gastritis, Gastric metaplasia, Helicobacter pylori infection,
  Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and Familial adenomatous polyposis are all strong indicators of a pre-disposition to gastric cancers. Additionally, lifestyle choices such as high alcohol consumption, high intake of smoked, salted, or pickled foods, low intake of fruits and vegetables, and tobacco use are linked to gastric cancer.

Physical Changes and Diagnosis

• Many people have few, if any, symptoms in the beginning stages of gastric cancer, causing early detection to be difficult. Physical signs that may be present are an enlarged stomach, a palpable mass, or an enlarged liver. If any of these signs are present, particularly coupled with the aforementioned risk, a physical examination and further testing is needed. Weight loss, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and peptic ulcer symptoms may all be signs of late-stage gastric cancer and need to be examined as soon as possible.

Diagnostic Tests

• There are numerous diagnostic procedures available; however, your doctor may order a barium swallow first as this test is non-invasive and relatively inexpensive. They are quite accurate in determining if further testing is appropriate. The most common diagnostic procedure for gastric cancer is an Esaphagogastroduodenoscopy, or EGD. An EGD is very thorough in gastric cancer diagnosis as the scope of the procedure allows for biopsies to be taken for evaluation. It also allows direct visualization by the physician of the gastric tract. If cancer is found the next test would be an endoscopic ultrasound. This procedure is used for staging the tumor(s), which determines how far the disease has invaded the abdomen. There are four stages of cancerous growth, with zero indicating no presence of cancerous growths and stage 4 indicating the invasion of cancer into other organ systems.

Treatment

• There are many treatment options available, often used in combination for maximum impact. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery may all be utilized to ensure the best possible results. Radiation therapy is a treatment where radiation is administered where the cancerous mass is located. Localized treatment of gastric cancers has shown moderate success. Chemotherapy is intravenous treatments where strong medications are administered that attack the cancerous cells. Surgery is the third treatment option; however, there are some cases where surgery is not an option. The determining factors for this approach would be the location and growth pattern of the cancer cells.

Prevention

• Most cancers are hereditary, meaning that the cancer runs in your family. It is very important to research and know your family history to be better prepared for the future. Staying on top of your health and maintaining a nutritional lifestyle with vitamins, minerals, and supplements will help your body build the defense needed to protect against disease.