Popular science of gastric cancer

Hello,

everyone. I am Dr. Li Huifeng from the Department of Internal Medicine of the Third People’s Hospital of Jiujiang City. Today, I will give you a popular science about gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, which seriously endangers human health. Understanding the relevant knowledge of gastric cancer is essential for prevention, early detection and effective treatment. The early symptoms of gastric cancer are often atypical and easily overlooked. Some patients may have epigastric discomfort, which may be dull pain or fullness, without obvious regularity, sometimes aggravated after eating, and sometimes on an empty stomach. Loss of appetite is also a common early manifestation, patients suddenly lose interest in the food they used to like, and their appetite gradually decreases. As the disease progresses, weight loss occurs because the tumor consumes energy from the body and the patient eats less. Nausea and vomiting are also possible symptoms. If the tumor is located in the pylorus of the stomach, vomiting will be more frequent when obstruction occurs, and the vomit is mostly food. In addition, when the tumor destroys the blood vessels of gastric mucosa, gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms such as hematemesis and melena may occur. The occurrence of gastric cancer is the result of multiple factors. Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is one of the important pathogenic factors. Helicobacter pylori can survive in the stomach for a long time. It can cause chronic inflammation of gastric mucosa, destroy the protective barrier of gastric mucosa, and may lead to canceration of gastric mucosal epithelial cells after long-term development. Bad eating habits also have a big impact. Long-term high-salt diet, such as regular consumption of pickled food, contains a large amount of nitrite, which can be converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines in the stomach. In addition, long-term consumption of smoked and fried foods, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in these foods, can increase the risk of morbidity of gastric cancer. In addition, long-term heavy drinking can damage the gastric mucosa, which can cause congestion and edema of the gastric mucosa and promote the absorption of carcinogens. Genetic factors also play a role in the morbidity of gastric cancer, if there are gastric cancer patients in the family, the risk of relatives suffering from gastric cancer will be higher than general population. Early diagnosis is critical for the treatment and prognosis of gastric cancer. For patients with epigastric discomfort, loss of appetite and other symptoms, the doctor will conduct a detailed inquiry and physical examination. Gastroscopy is the most direct and effective method for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Through gastroscopy, we can clearly observe the condition of gastric mucosa, find minor lesions, and take tissues for pathological examination. Pathological diagnosis is the gold standard for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. In addition to gastroscopy, upper gastrointestinal radiography can also be used for the examination of gastric cancer, which can show the outline of the stomach, peristalsis, filling defects, niches, etc., but the diagnostic value of early gastric cancer is not as good as gastroscopy. In addition, abdominal CT examination is helpful to understand whether gastric cancer invades surrounding tissues and organs, whether there is lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, which is of great significance for the staging of gastric cancer. Tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) series can also be used as a reference for auxiliary diagnosis, but their specificity and sensitivity are not very high, so we can not rely solely on tumor markers to diagnose gastric cancer. The treatment of gastric cancer mainly includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy. Surgery is the main treatment for gastric cancer. For early gastric cancer, radical resection may cure it. Surgical methods include partial gastrectomy, total gastrectomy, and dissection of peripheral lymph nodes. Chemotherapy is widely used in the treatment of gastric cancer. Preoperative chemotherapy can shrink the tumor and improve the resection rate. Postoperative chemotherapy can eliminate the residual cancer cells and reduce the risk of recurrence. For advanced gastric cancer, chemotherapy can relieve symptoms and prolong survival. Radiotherapy is mainly used for the adjuvant treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer, which can reduce local recurrence. In recent years, targeted therapy has developed rapidly. Drugs targeting specific targets of gastric cancer cells, such as trastuzumab, can more accurately attack cancer cells and improve the therapeutic effect, especially for gastric cancer patients with specific gene expression. Gastric cancer is a serious disease, but by understanding its symptoms, etiology, prevention and early diagnosis, and taking appropriate treatment, the survival rate and quality of life of patients can be improved. We should maintain a healthy lifestyle, actively prevent and treat Helicobacter pylori infection, and be alert to the early signs of gastric cancer.