What is stomach cancer?
At stomach cancer is a malignant tumor in the stomach.
There are several types of malignant tumors of the stomach. The adenocarcinoma occurs most frequently (95%). Adenocarcinoma begins in the lining of the stomach.
The tumor can grow from the stomach to other places in the body.
At stomach cancer gets you have surgery. The surgeon takes out a part of the stomach or the whole stomach.
The disease is more common in men than in women. Most people with stomach cancer are older than 60 years.
What causes stomach cancer?
It is still unclear how stomach cancer develops. What is known is that some people have more risk of stomach cancer.
Who has more risk of stomach cancer?
- People who have certain types of stomach polyps. A stomach polyp is a benign tumor of the stomach.
- People who have previously been removed, a portion of the stomach.
- People with chronic atrophic gastritis. This is an inflammation of the stomach lining.
- People who smoke.
What are the signs and symptoms of stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer shows early usually have little or no complaints. As the tumor grows, you can indeed get symptoms such as:
- not feel like eating;
- aversion to food with strong odors, such as coffee, roasts and certain herbs;
- weight loss;
- quickly feel full when eating;
- pain in the upper abdomen and / or to the sternum;
- nausea;
- frequent vomiting;
- vomiting (a little) blood;
- heartburn ;
- dizziness and fatigue from anemia.
How does the doctor determines that you have stomach cancer?
To find out if you have stomach cancer, the doctor will first ask about your symptoms. Then a physical examination.
At the hospital, a liver-stomach-intestinal doctor or internist doing further research, for example:
Examination of your blood and feces. Blood in the stool is often only found in research in a laboratory. Gastroscopy. The doctor looks through a flexible tube into the esophagus and stomach. X-ray examination of the stomach.
If you are found to have stomach cancer, more tests are needed: Ultrasonography of the abdomen. CT scan of the abdomen. PET scan. The PET scan can show whether any metastases at an early stage.
EUS. This is a combination of gastroscopy and ultrasound. You will receive an endorectal ultrasound if the doctor thinks that the tumor is in the vicinity of the stomach entrance.
What is the treatment for stomach cancer?
Most people with stomach cancer have surgery as treatment. An operation can be aimed at curing (curative treatment) or to inhibiting the disease and relieving your symptoms (palliative treatment). A palliative treatment is done, for example if the surgeon can not quite pull off the tumor or if it has spread.
Depending on the location and tumor size three types of operations are possible:
- The surgeon gets the upper portion of the stomach (cardia) and the lower part of the esophagus away. The remaining part of the stomach as it makes a kind of tube attached to the esophagus. This operation is called cardiaresectie.
- The surgeon brings out the lower part of the stomach, the gastric output and a part of the duodenum away. The remaining portion of the stomach, they connect it to the small intestine. This procedure is called distal gastrectomy.
- The surgeon removes the whole stomach, and a portion of the duodenum. It connects with the esophagus, the small intestine. Because the whole stomach is removed, shapes esophagus and small intestine after the operation, a continuous tube. This operation is called total gastrectomy.
It is possible to live without any stomach or with only part of your stomach.
Radiation and chemotherapy gives the physician especially in palliative treatments.
Power Problems after surgery in gastric cancer
After an operation for stomach cancer can cause problems with eating.
The following symptoms occur:
Small stomach. If you have to miss your stomach is good for the first time after surgery every two hours a little bit to eat. Even then you have to distribute the food at least six small meals.
Dumping Syndrome. After an operation in which the surgeon has a stomach tube, the food comes quickly in the small intestine than previously. This is called "dumping". After dinner, you may experience:
- nausea;
- Abdominal pain;
- Vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- Palpitations;
- Sweating a lot;
- Shakiness;
- Very hungry.
After surgery, you may suffer from gall. This gives symptoms such as nausea, cramps right abdominal and vomiting of bile. Eat small amounts often. After the meal lie on your left side. Then the bile flows better off going to the intestines. So the complaints are about.
The nutritional problems tend to disappear over time by themselves. The digestive system needs some time to adapt to the new situation.