| Screening is both a clinical and a
epidemiological approach to discover early diseases in a general
population that have a greater than 90 percent chance of cure.
Most often, the first thing physicians do when a person comes to
their office is to take a history. If doctors are screening for
stomach cancer, doctors would ask patients about symptoms that
could be related to stomach cancer. A comprehensive family history
is also taken asking the patient if anyone in their family has
ever had stomach cancer. Ultimately, a complete physical
examination is performed. Avoidance of stomach cancer may also
be possible by proper diet and vitamin supplementation. Smoked
foods, pickled vegetables, salted fish, excessive dietary salt,
foods with nitrates such as lunch meat and hotdogs as well as
charcoal broiled foods, produce nitrosamines that cause cancer.
Vitamin C can prevent nitrosamine formation and therefore fresh
fruits should be substituted in the diet for foods that produce
nitrosamine. Recent studies in animals show high dose folic acid
may play an important role in prevention of stomach cancer.
Taking supplemental vitamin C (250 to 500 mg per day) is advised
for those with a family history of stomach cancer.
Once the diagnosis of stomach cancer is made, surgery is the
treatment of choice. If it has spread to the lymph nodes or to the
liver, you may also need chemotherapy. When stomach cancer is
diagnosed early and thought to be cured by surgery, a careful
search for Helicobacter pylori should also be made. When the
bacteria is not found in the stomach by biopsy, a serological
blood test should also be obtained. If evidence of Helicobacter
pylori infection is found, intensive antibiotic therapy should be
given and treatment success proved by endoscopy or breath test. A
Japanese study of stomach cancer patients surgically treated and
cured demonstrated that getting rid of Helicobacter pylori
prevented another stomach cancer from forming. In individuals who
did not receive treatment for Helicobacter pylori, a substantial
percentage developed a second stomach cancer within a few years.
Helicobacter pylori cancer can also cause other forms of
stomach cancer. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the stomach is probably
related to Helicobacter pylori most of the time and MALT lymphoma
of the stomach (a low grade lymphoma) is always associated with
Helicobacter pylori. Patients with severe gastritis should have
biopsies taken looking for MALT lymphoma. In cases of early MALT
lymphoma, treatment of Helicobacter pylori may completely cure the
patient. In more advanced cases surgery, radiation therapy, or
chemotherapy may be necessary. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the
stomach can often be treated with radiation therapy alone.
Occasionally chemotherapy with or without surgery is also
necessary.
If you have questions related to this article you
may e-mail me at doctor@soontongkiong.com quoting the contents of
the article.
About the author
DR SOON is a medical practitioner. He holds four degrees. MBBS
(University of Malaya), MBA (University of East Asia), LLB (Hons)
(University of Wolverhampton), Master of Medicine (Edith Cowan
University
:
Dr SOON is the owner of AskMyVisitor.com and MyScriptDoctor.com
where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information
on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.
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