Is gastric cancer painless or itchy in the early stage? Reminder: 5 symptoms in the body may indicate that cancer is coming
Su Riman, a young dancer from Inner Mongolia, died in March 2022 at the age of 28 after fighting stomach cancer for 8 months.
Mint Sauce, a beauty blogger, died of stomach cancer in August 2022 at the age of 35.
Gu Yue Tianlong, an Internet celebrity anchor, experienced symptoms such as hiccups, bloating, and poor appetite in mid-April this year, but he did not pay attention to them until the symptoms worsened and he went to the hospital for an examination. He was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer, with multiple metastases . One month later, Gu Yue Tianlong passed away at the age of 45.
In recent years, there have been more and more reports of "young people dying of stomach cancer" in the news.
According to the "Global Burden of Cancer" released by WHO, China is a big country with gastric cancer, accounting for 44% and 50% of the world's incidence and death of gastric cancer, respectively. In addition, gastric cancer patients in China are also showing a younger trend. Epidemiological statistics show that compared with 30 years ago, the number of gastric cancer patients aged 19-35 has doubled .
Research from the Mayo Clinic in the United States also confirmed that the incidence of gastric cancer is getting younger, and the incidence of early gastric cancer is increasing. The study found that since 1990, the number of gastric cancer patients aged 20-59 in the United States has shown a steady growth trend. Currently, gastric cancer patients aged 20-59 years in the United States account for more than 30% of all new gastric cancer patients.
Studies have shown that the occurrence of most gastric cancers is age-related, generally over the age of 40, except for one type——
The obvious trend of gastric cancer rejuvenation is also closely related to the external environment and living habits.
In China, the early diagnosis and treatment rate of gastric cancer is relatively low, only 5% to 10%. When most patients are diagnosed, they are already in the middle and late stages. Because there are generally only 5 steps from gastritis to gastric cancer:
Lian Lei, director and chief physician of Gastrointestinal Surgery Division 1 (Gastric Surgery) of the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, said that one of the most economical and reliable gastric cancer screening methods is gastroscopy.
Gastroscopy can visually observe changes in the gastric mucosa and find abnormalities such as inflammation, ulcers, polyps, and tumors. It can also check the health status of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and duodenum. Many people worry that gastroscopy will be uncomfortable, but in most cases it will only cause mild discomfort . In addition, a gastroscopy is only a few hundred yuan, which is very cost-effective for cancer screening.
Our neighbors Japan and South Korea are also countries with a high incidence of gastric cancer. Japanese ramen and Korean kimchi are foods with high salt content, but their early gastric cancer diagnosis and treatment rate is very high, and the mortality rate is low . The main reason is the popularity of gastroscopy. National awareness of early screening is relatively strong.
Therefore, we must pay attention to gastroscopy in order to effectively reduce the risk of gastric cancer.
- Symptoms of gastric cancer
Recurrent symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux are caused by gastric acid reflux into the esophagus and corrosion of the esophageal mucosa;
· Stomach pain that is irregular and persistent;
There is a lump in the abdomen, the lump feels hard to the touch, and there is pain when squeezed;
Changes in stool color, especially unexplained black stools, may be related to gastric ulcer bleeding or canceration;
·The weight drops sharply in a short period of time, accompanied by symptoms such as loss of appetite, diarrhea, and fatigue. Be vigilant that cancer cells are "robbing" nutrients.
Over 40 years old;
Family history of gastrointestinal cancer;
Abdominal distension, nausea, belching and other upper gastrointestinal symptoms have occurred for more than 6 months;
Helicobacter pylori infection and discomfort symptoms;
Chronic atrophic gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric polyps and other gastric precancerous lesions;
Long-term unhealthy lifestyle, long-term high-salt diet, smoking and drinking, etc.;
In general, the prevention of gastric cancer should develop these habits:
References:
[1]JohnR. Bergquist， et al.，(2019). Early-onset gastric cancer is a distinct disease with worrisome trends and oncogenic features. Surgery
[2] Qin Jingzhu, Yuan Changhai, Zhang Jiasheng, et al. Analysis of the reasons for the younger trend of gastric cancer patients in China [J]. China Primary Health Care, 2009, 23(008): 10-11.
[3] Gastric cancer "prefers" these 4 types of people, 6 ways to easily stay away from gastric cancer! .China Medical Tribune Today Tumor. 2022-05-19
[4] Half of gastric cancer in the world is in China. What are we eating wrong? , the whole people is true, 2021-03-29