Diagnosis of Stomach Cancer: The Path to Modern Medicine
Stomach cancer is a serious health threat, and early and accurate diagnosis is essential to improve the rate of cure and the quality of survival of patients. So how does modern medicine detect stomach cancer? Let’s find out.
I. Stomach mirror examination
Stomach lenses can be said to be the most direct and important method of diagnosing stomach cancer. The doctor inserts a long tube with a camera, i.e. a stomach mirror, through the mouth, and slowly enters the stomach. The camera on the stomach mirror was able to clearly photograph the stomach wall, including the colour, texture of the gastric mucous membranes, and whether there were ulcer, swelling, etc.
In the case of a gastroscope examination, the doctor may also take some tissue samples, i.e. a biopsy, if a suspicious pathology is found. The post-psychological tissue is sent to pathology, where a specialist pathologist looks at characteristics such as cell morphology under a microscope to determine if it is a cancer cell, which is the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of stomach cancer.
Although stomach lenses can directly observe the inside of the stomach, they also have a number of minor disadvantages, such as the fact that the examination process may cause some discomfort to the patient, but there are also pain-free stomach glasses available to allow the patient to complete the examination in sleep and to alleviate the pain.
II. Upper digestive means of food.
This is also a common test method. Patients need to drink first a sulphate-based imaging agent, which is attached to the internal walls of the oesophagus, stomach and 12-finger intestines. Anomalous conditions such as the contours, morphology of these parts and the presence of excess loss (possibly caused by swelling), gills (possibly caused by ulcer) can then be observed through X-ray exposure.
It is relatively easy to eat on the upper digestive route, and patients do not need to insert pipes like a stomach mirror and suffer relatively little. However, its resolution is not as high as that of a stomach mirror examination, which may be difficult to detect with precision for some of the smaller diseases, so it is generally used as an aid to the stomach mirror examination or when the patient is unfit for a stomach mirror.
III. Stomach ultrasound
Stomach ultrasound is a principle used to observe stomach structure and pathologies using ultrasounds that reflect back when they are transmitted within the stomach through different organizational interfaces. It shows the thickness of the stomach wall, the hierarchical structure, and the presence of a positional pathogen.
However, there are limits to stomach ultrasound. On the one hand, it is insufficiently accurate to observe minor changes in the stomach mucous membranes; on the other hand, it is more influenced by factors such as gas in the stomach, so that patients are usually required to empty their stomachs and drink liquids that help to eliminate gas in the stomach in order to improve the effectiveness of the examination. In general, gastric ultrasound is also used as an auxiliary method, in conjunction with other means of examination.
IV. Oncological marker detection
Tumour markers are a group of substances that are present in blood, body fluids, etc., and their content may change when tumours occur in the body. In the case of stomach cancer, common signs of tumours are the embryo antigens (CEA), sugar antigens CA19-9, etc.
The levels of these tumor markers are detected by blood pumping and, if their value increases, may suggest a risk of stomach cancer. It should be noted, however, that the increase in tumor markers does not necessarily mean stomach cancer, as other diseases may also cause it to rise, so it can only be used as an aid for diagnosis and needs to be judged in combination with other tests.
V. CT Inspections
CT examinations are the use of X-rays to scrutinise the body, which clearly shows the structure of the stomach and its surrounding tissue. It detects a thicker stomach wall, the size, shape, location of the swelling, and if there is a lymphoma swollenness, a long-distance transfer.
CT examinations are particularly important for patients suspected of stomach cancer and who may have been transferred, and help doctors to understand the situation and develop appropriate treatment programmes.
Modern medicine uses a variety of methods to detect stomach cancer, each with advantages and disadvantages. In practice, these methods often need to be applied in combination, such as initial screening for oncological markers and the selection of stomach mirrors, CT tests, etc. for further diagnosis, as appropriate, in order to more accurately diagnose stomach cancer and provide a strong basis for the treatment of patients.
