Stomach Cancer

WHAT IS STOMACH CANCER? 

Although the incidence of stomach cancer has decreased over the years compared to other types of cancer, it remains important in terms of being a partially preventable type of cancer. Scientific developments, especially in the field of stomach cancer, have provided serious breakthroughs in preventing cancer before it has even occurred.

 One of the causes of stomach cancer and most importantly, the detection of a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori and the demonstration of the treatability of this bacterium with antibiotics is a touchstone of the fight against stomach cancer.

 However, H. There are doubts that eradicating pylori (eliminating it with antibiotics) will completely prevent stomach cancer. H. Pylori also leads to lymphoma, which can be considered among the Decadent diseases of the stomach.

Diagnostic Methods

Stomach cancer often occurs with complaints described as indigestion. For this reason, it can be neglected by the patient for a long time. However, early intervention ensures successful results in treatment. For these reasons, if there are any of the signs and symptoms mentioned above, it is absolutely necessary to consult a physician.

After your doctor listens to your family history and medical history, according to the findings of the physical examination, if he suspects a stomach-related condition, he may request some tests.

Gastroscopy comes at the beginning of these examinations. During gastroscopy, the inner wall of the stomach is examined by entering your stomach through the mouth with a flexible pipe with a camera on the end and samples are taken from suspicious places and sent for pathological study. The detection of cancer or precursor lesions can only be done in this way.

If a cancer diagnosis is made, imaging techniques such as tomography, MRI and PET can be used to determine the prevalence of the disease and identify appropriate treatment options.

Treatment Methods

As with many other types of cancer, stomach cancer also uses surgical methods, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Although surgery is the first option in eligible patients, the prevalence of cancer and the general health status of the patient are of great importance when making a surgical decision.

The earlier the cancer is detected and the less spread it is, the higher the chance of curing with surgical treatments. In curing surgeries, a large part or all of the stomach and the lymph nodes around the stomach are removed. In addition, there are a number of surgical procedures performed to increase the patient’s comfort of life in advanced stage patients.

Chemotherapy, on the other hand, is used to slow down the growth of the tumor in advanced patients, in order to reduce the tumor to surgically removable sizes in patients who are suitable for surgery, but the tumor size is too large, and 2-3. it can be used to reduce the likelihood of recurrence after surgery in stage disease.

Although radiotherapy is not a treatment method routinely applied in the treatment of stomach cancer, it is a method that can be used to shrink tumors or eliminate the feeling of pain in the advanced stages.