Is gastric cancer already in the late stage when it is discovered? These people need early screening

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor. It is usually discovered in the late stage, which brings great difficulties to the treatment of patients. However, we should realize that early screening can help us detect the signs of gastric cancer as early as possible, thereby improving the cure rate and survival rate of patients. The following is some knowledge about gastric cancer and the people who need early screening (as shown in Figure 1).

Figure 1 (Picture from the Internet)

1. What is gastric cancer?

Gastric cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa and is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. Its incidence and mortality rates vary in different countries and regions, but in general, the incidence and mortality rates of gastric cancer are both high. People who are prone to gastric cancer include middle-aged and elderly people, people with a history of chronic gastritis, people who smoke and drink for a long time, and people with a family history of genetic diseases. The causes of gastric cancer are relatively complex, including genetic, environmental, lifestyle, and dietary factors. Among them, long-term smoking and drinking, irregular diet, and bad lifestyle habits are important factors that lead to gastric cancer. Symptoms of gastric cancer include upper abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and black stools. The symptoms of early gastric cancer are usually not obvious and are easily ignored, while advanced gastric cancer may metastasize and spread, making treatment more difficult (as shown in Figure 2).

Figure 2 (Picture from the Internet)

2. Why is gastric cancer discovered in the late stage?

Gastric cancer is a malignant tumor that usually develops slowly. Its early symptoms are not obvious and are easily ignored or misdiagnosed. The early symptoms of gastric cancer are often similar to some common gastrointestinal diseases, such as indigestion, stomach pain, loss of appetite, etc. Since these symptoms are very similar to some stomach problems in daily life, patients often tend to ignore or mistake them for common gastrointestinal discomfort. Therefore, when symptoms appear, many patients do not seek medical attention immediately, but choose to take medication or some over-the-counter drugs for relief. Early screening methods for gastric cancer also have certain limitations. Conventional gastroscopy is currently an effective diagnostic method, but because it is somewhat invasive, many people are unwilling to accept it. Since early gastric cancer has no obvious symptoms and there are no specific screening standards for high-risk groups, many people will not take the initiative to screen for gastric cancer without obvious symptoms. Therefore, the early diagnosis of gastric cancer faces certain challenges (as shown in Figure 3).

Figure 3 (Picture from the Internet)

3. Who needs early screening ?

3.1 People with a family history of gastric cancer need to undergo early screening. Genetic factors play an important role in the occurrence of gastric cancer. If there is a gastric cancer patient in the family, then the patient himself belongs to the high-risk group and should undergo regular gastroscopy to detect any abnormalities as early as possible.

3.2 People with long-term gastritis or gastric ulcers also need early screening. Gastritis and gastric ulcers are the precursors of gastric cancer. If not treated in time, they may further develop into gastric cancer. Therefore, if you have a history of long-term gastritis or ulcers, it is recommended to regularly observe changes in the gastric mucosa through gastroscopy in order to detect possible cancer early.

3.3 Early screening is also very important for people in some high-risk occupations. For example, coal miners, iron miners and other occupations that are exposed to harmful substances have a greatly increased risk of gastric cancer due to long-term exposure to these harmful substances. It is very necessary for these people to undergo regular gastroscopy examinations to detect early signs of gastric cancer as early as possible.

3.4 Older people also need early screening. With the increase of age, the incidence of gastric cancer will increase. Therefore, people over 40 years old, especially those over 50 years old, should undergo regular gastroscopy to detect potential problems as early as possible.

4. Treatment of Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. It originates from the gastric epithelium. Treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, traditional Chinese medicine treatment and nutritional support.

4.1 Surgical treatment: Surgical resection is the main treatment for gastric cancer and the only way to cure gastric cancer. Gastric cancer surgery is divided into radical surgery and palliative surgery. Radical resection should be adopted as much as possible. Through surgery, cancer cell tissue in the patient's body can be removed to achieve the purpose of treatment. Depending on the degree of development of gastric cancer and the patient's physical condition, the doctor will choose different surgical methods.

4.2 Chemotherapy: Preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can shrink the primary lesion, reduce the stage, and increase the possibility of radical resection. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can remove hidden micro-metastases and prevent recurrence after radical resection. For patients with disseminated tumors, chemotherapy can control symptoms and prolong survival.

4.3 Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy is mainly used for adjuvant treatment after gastric cancer surgery, comprehensive treatment of inoperable locally advanced gastric cancer and palliative treatment of advanced gastric cancer. Conventional radiotherapy techniques can be used. Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to destroy the DNA of cancer cells and prevent their growth and division.

4.4 Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy is a treatment method that selects targeted drugs based on the specific changes in cancer cells. Its high efficiency and low toxicity are increasingly attracting the attention of clinicians.

4.5 Treatment with Chinese medicine: Chinese medicine treatment for gastric cancer includes oral and external use of Chinese herbal medicine. Oral Chinese herbal medicine can regulate the spleen and stomach function, remove dampness and heat, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, relieve the symptoms of gastric cancer, and improve the patient's immunity. External use of Chinese herbal medicine can be applied in the form of a patch, which directly acts on the gastric cancer lesions through penetration, inhibiting tumor growth and relieving pain. It can be used as an auxiliary treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

4.6 Nutritional support: Supplement nutrition reasonably. If the patient cannot eat orally, enteral tube feeding should be considered (as shown in Figure 4).

Figure 4 (Picture from the Internet)

5. Prevention of Gastric Cancer

Methods to prevent gastric cancer include a balanced diet, quitting smoking and drinking, avoiding Helicobacter pylori infection, maintaining a happy mood, and regular gastric cancer screening.

5.1 Reasonable diet: Correct bad eating habits and pay attention to food hygiene. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits contain antioxidants that can remove harmful substances in the body and reduce the risk of gastric cancer. Also control salt intake. A high-salt diet is directly related to the occurrence of gastric cancer. Therefore, avoid eating too salty food. Also choose low-fat foods, increase fiber intake, and avoid eating overheated food.

5.2 Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption: The longer you smoke, the more you smoke every day, and the younger you start smoking, the greater the chance of getting sick. Drinking a small amount of alcohol is good for your health, but drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking will increase the risk of gastric cancer. Therefore, you should pay attention to quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption.

5.3 Avoid Helicobacter pylori infection: Patients should pay attention to hygiene in their daily lives, conduct regular Helicobacter pylori tests, and receive early anti-Helicobacter pylori treatment to reduce the risk of gastric cancer.

5.4 Maintain a happy mood: Mental factors are risk factors for gastric cancer that cannot be ignored. Long-term mental depression, history of major mental trauma, family disharmony, poor emotional regulation and other higher nervous activity disorders play an important role in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer through the influence of autonomic nervous system and immune function.

5.5 Regular gastric cancer screening: my country recommends that people over 40 years old or with a family history of gastric cancer should undergo regular gastric cancer screening (as shown in Figure 5).

Figure 5 (Picture from the Internet)

Conclusion: In short, gastric cancer is not always in the advanced stage when it is discovered. Early screening can help us detect gastric cancer as early as possible and improve the cure rate and survival rate. People with a family history of gastric cancer, a long-term history of gastritis or gastric ulcer, people in high-risk occupations and people over 40 years old need to undergo regular gastroscopy. Only through early screening can we better protect our health and stay away from the threat of gastric cancer.