Facts About Stomach Cancer
Someone with stomach cancer may have the following symptoms: a burning sensation that may be indigestion, or heartburn; discomfort or a pain in the abdomen, bloating after eating, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue or a weakness, blood in the stool, and also vomiting blood.
Also known as gastric cancer, stomach cancer starts in the stomach, obviously. There are approximately 21,700 Americans that were diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2001. The cause for this cancer is not known though there are some risk factors including Helicobacter pylori infection and a diet that includes large amounts of smoked foods, salted fish or meats, foods that are high in starch and low in fiber, pickled vegetables, and also foods and beverages that contain nitrates and nitrites, tobacco use, alcohol use, previous stomach surgery, megaloblastic anemia, menetrier's disease, being over age 55, being a male, having type A blood, and having a family history of familial adenomatous polyposis, nonpolyposis colon cancer, or stomach cancer, a history of stomach cancer, and also being exposed to workplace environmental factors such as dusts and fumes.
Someone with stomach cancer may have the following symptoms: a burning sensation that may be indigestion, or heartburn; discomfort or a pain in the abdomen, bloating after eating, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue or a weakness, blood in the stool, and also vomiting blood.
Your doctor will want to examine you if you suspect that you have any of the above symptoms and no other medical condition can be determined. A physical examination, and a medical history will be taken from you on your first visit. Diagnostic tests will be ordered to help rule out other diseases or conditions and to confirm stomach cancer.
|
If a person has IBD, a specialist called a gastroenterologist is called upon to help the individual deal with the disease.
There are three common conditions that individual can have that affect the esophagus: Tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia are congenital conditions.
Digestion
|
Tests:
Fecal occult blood test, which is when you place a small stool sample on a special card. The sample is tested in the doctor's office or may be sent to a laboratory for testing.
Upper GI series (gastrointestinal). This is the test that requires that you swallow barium.
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a procedure where the doctor can examine the inside of your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum by placing a thin lighted tube, called a endoscope down your mouth, throat, and into your esophagus, stomach and also your duodenum. A sample tissue may be taken to be sent for biopsy.
Another test is the endoscopic ultrasound which is an imaging technique used to send sound waves to create a computer image for the doctor to look at your esophagus and stomach. The endoscope goes past the mouth and throat and guided into the esophagus and stomach. A sample of tissue may be taken and sent for a biopsy.
Treatment for stomach cancer if you have it includes: chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and also surgery to remove any cancerous tissue. A gastrectomy may be done to remove part of the stomach. The surgery to remove the entire stomach is called: gastrectomy.
Radiation therapy is used to kill or shrink cancer cells and chemotherapy uses anticancer drugs to kill the cancer cells. News on Digestive Disorders
09/03/2010
New Kid on the Block: Hawthorne Community Acupuncture
Image Credit: yıldıray New Kid on the Block aims to be an occasional feature that profiles new (or relatively new) local businesses. Please feel free to bring any new local businesses to our attention by emailing us at editors@phillyist.com . Yes, acupuncture—in South Philly, no less. Don't roll your eyes. Read on. Right around the corner from the High School for ...
New Kid on the Block: Hawthorne Community Acupuncture
09/03/2010
WATCH: Pakistani Children of the Floods
Two million children are estimated to be at risk for diarrhea and dehydration. Diarrhea - Dehydration - Health - Conditions and Diseases - Digestive Disorders
WATCH: Pakistani Children of the Floods
09/03/2010
Colonoscopy repeats greater with non-specialists
Older adults who have a colonoscopy performed by a family doctor, internist or general surgeon are somewhat more likely to need another one within a year compared with those who have the procedure done by a gastroenterologist, a new report finds.
Colonoscopy repeats greater with non-specialists
09/03/2010
New Pump Created For Microneedle Drug-Delivery Patch
Purdue University researchers have developed a new type of pump for drug-delivery patches that might use arrays of "microneedles" to deliver a wider range of medications than now possible with conventional patches. The current "transdermal" patches are limited to delivering drugs that, like nicotine, are made of small hydrophobic molecules that can be absorbed through the skin, said Babak Ziaie ...
New Pump Created For Microneedle Drug-Delivery Patch
09/03/2010
WATCH: Pakistani Children of the Floods
Two million children are estimated to be at risk for diarrhea and dehydration. Diarrhea - Dehydration - Health - Conditions and Diseases - Digestive Disorders
WATCH: Pakistani Children of the Floods
09/03/2010
Colonoscopy repeats greater with non-specialists
Older adults who have a colonoscopy performed by a family doctor, internist or general surgeon are somewhat more likely to need another one within a year compared with those who have the procedure done by a gastroenterologist, a new report finds.
Colonoscopy repeats greater with non-specialists
|