How is gastric cancer caused?

Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
Updated on September 28, 2024
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The causes of gastric cancer are not yet clearly understood. However, its occurrence is associated with poor dietary habits, such as irregular eating—sometimes skipping a meal, sometimes overeating, not having meals on time—and consuming pickled food, barbecued junk food, and other unhealthy dietary practices. Additionally, smoking, alcohol consumption, infection with Helicobacter pylori, chronic gastric diseases such as atrophic gastritis, and genetic factors are all somewhat related to the development of this condition.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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How to treat advanced gastric cancer?

The treatment for advanced gastric cancer is primarily chemotherapy, especially for patients with peritoneal or retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis, or distant organ metastasis such as to the liver or lungs. The treatment primarily involves chemotherapy, specifically choosing either multi-drug intravenous combination chemotherapy or oral monotherapy, such as oral chemotherapy with tegafur capsules, or broad-spectrum targeted therapies like apatinib that inhibit angiogenesis. The choice of treatment depends on a comprehensive consideration of the patient's overall condition. If the patient's general condition is particularly poor and the chemotherapy risk is assessed to be high, then the approach for such advanced-stage patients is primarily the best symptomatic supportive treatment to alleviate suffering as much as possible. Therefore, the treatment plan must be determined based on a comprehensive consideration of the specific situation.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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How to check for gastric cancer?

Gastroscopy is very important in the examination of gastric cancer, and taking a biopsy under gastroscopy is an important means of diagnosis. Other examinations include endoscopic ultrasound or enhanced abdominal CT and chest CT to assess the staging of the patient. With endoscopic ultrasound, we can see which layer of the stomach wall the tumor has invaded and then combine it with chest and abdominal CT scans to assess whether there is distant metastasis. Diagnosis requires gastroscopy with a biopsy taken during the procedure.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Can stomach cancer be cured?

Whether gastric cancer can be cured depends on the stage of the cancer, as well as the patient's own physical condition. For example, early-stage gastric cancer patients, who are diagnosed as early-stage through examinations such as endoscopic ultrasonography and enhanced CT of the chest and abdomen, and assessed by surgeons as suitable for curative surgery, are primarily treated with curative surgery. The prognosis for these early-stage gastric cancer patients is generally good, with a relatively high five-year survival rate. Post-operation, based on the pathological findings, it is decided whether postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy are necessary. There is hope for curing patients in these early stages through these treatment methods. However, if a patient is found to have advanced-stage gastric cancer, for example with metastases to distant organs like the liver and lungs, the cancer is not completely curable. The purpose of treatment in such cases is to alleviate the patient's pain and extend their survival, but it can’t achieve a curative effect.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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early symptoms of gastric cancer

The early symptoms of gastric cancer are similar to those of some gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis, gastric ulcers, or duodenal ulcers. They don't have very specific clinical manifestations. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen, and acid reflux-like symptoms, which are early symptoms in patients with gastric cancer. Therefore, when such symptoms appear, it is essential to seek medical attention promptly and undergo a thorough gastroscopy.

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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Is black stool a sign of stomach cancer?

Black stools might suggest stomach cancer, but most cases are not. Often, factors such as diet structure and medications can lead to transient black stools, which are physiological. For instance, consuming animal blood, foods containing pigments, and certain medications like blood tonics and bismuth drugs protecting the stomach lining can cause transient black stools. Once dietary adjustments are made or related medications are stopped, the stool color usually returns to normal. In pathological conditions, such as acute gastric mucosal lesions and bleeding from gastric or duodenal ulcers, black stools can also occur. Thus, the occurrence of black stools might suggest the possibility of stomach cancer, but in most cases, it likely is not.