General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Erman Aytaç, Atakent Hospital of Acıbadem University talked about 12 factors that increase the risk of stomach cancer.
Stomach cancer is the 4th most common type of cancer after breast, lung and colon cancers. Every year, approximately one million people in the world and 20 thousand people in our country are diagnosed with stomach cancer. It is among the dangerous cancers because it progresses insidiously in the early stages without causing any complaints. The first noticeable symptoms are usually abdominal pain, indigestion and bloating that develops after eating. However, considering that the complaints are caused by ‘stomach ulcer’ or ‘gastritis’ diseases, the problem can be neglected, which may lead to a delay in treatment. General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Erman Aytaç, Atakent Hospital of Acıbadem University, warning of the vital importance of early diagnosis in gastric cancer, said, “Thanks to early diagnosis, patients can continue their lives for many years without any problems. For this reason, complaints such as abdominal pain, bloating after eating and indigestion, which are usually the first symptoms of stomach cancer, should be consulted to a physician without delay. More importantly, it is possible to partially prevent stomach cancer by paying attention to ‘modifiable’ risk factors.
Advancing age
The incidence of gastric cancer increases with advancing age. General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Erman Aytaç noted that the risk of gastric cancer increases after the age of 50.
Being a man
Stomach cancer occurs 2 times more often in men than in women. It is thought that estrogen hormone secreted in higher amounts in women has a protective effect against Helicobacter Pylori infection, which increases the risk of gastric cancer.
Genetic factor
If there is a history of stomach cancer in first-degree family members such as mother, father and siblings, the risk of developing this disease is higher than the normal population. Therefore, it is recommended to consult a physician who is an expert in this field to evaluate the risk.
Helicobacter Pylori
Helicobacter Pylori (HP) is a bacterial genus that is frequently encountered in the stomach. Helicobacter Pylori, which is seen as a bacterium responsible for the formation of gastritis, is known to be more common in patients with gastric cancer. “However, it should not be deduced from this table that gastric cancer will develop in every person with Helicobacter Pylori in their stomach”, Assoc. Dr. Erman Aytaç, said, “Because in some societies where Helicobacter Pylori is common, the rate of stomach cancer is low. Therefore, in addition to this bacterium, other risk factors are also extremely important.”
Consuming too much salt
Excess salt consumption is among the important factors that increase the risk of stomach cancer. The World Health Organization recommends that daily salt consumption should not exceed 5 grams.
Salted, smoked foods
The World Health Organization reports that 30 percent of cancers in developed countries are related to diet. For example, in geographies such as Japan where salted and smoked foods are consumed heavily, stomach cancer is more common. It is thought that barbecued meat, which is widely consumed in our country, may also be a risk factor. This may be related to salting of the meat and burning it while cooking. Similarly, large amounts of processed meat or fried foods, sauces and spicy foods, or foods contaminated with aflatoxin (like mold on stale bread) increase the risk.
General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Erman Aytaç said, “Just as overconsumption of salted and smoked foods increases the likelihood of developing stomach cancer, on the contrary, eating plenty of raw vegetables and fruits, vitamin C and antioxidant substances can have a positive effect on protection from this cancer.”
Smoking
Smoking is a risk factor for stomach cancer, as it is for many cancers. In fact, the risk increases 4 times as the intensity and duration of smoking increases.
Obesity
Obesity, which is an important problem of our age, also increases the risk of stomach cancer. Factors such as toxic substances in the body that increase with obesity, oxygenation disorder that increases cancer development at the cell level, and weakening of the defense system can facilitate the development of stomach cancer.
Some professions
Workers in certain occupations (such as those exposed to wood smoke or asbestos fumes, metal, plastic and mining workers) are at greater risk for stomach cancer.
Having blood group A
Gastric cancer is more common in people with blood group A. Although the exact cause is unknown, this is explained by the fact that people with blood type A are more susceptible to Helicobacter Pylori infection.
Some diseases
- In some diseases involving the large intestine (familial adenomatous polyposis and familial nonpolyposis colorectal cancer), the possibility of gastric cancer increases.
- Pernicious anemia, a type of anemia caused by the inability to absorb vitamin B12, also increases the risk of stomach cancer.
- Gastric cancer is more common in patients with atrophic gastritis (chronic inflammation resulting in the loss of epithelial cells and glands of the mucous layer lining the inner surface of the stomach).
- Studies have shown that the ebstein-barr virus, which causes infectious mononucleosis, known as the kissing disease in the community, has an effect on the development of stomach cancer.
Having stomach surgery
Pointing out that the risk of developing this cancer has increased over the years in those who had gastric surgery in the past, especially in patients who had a part of their stomach removed, General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Erman Aytaç said, “Therefore, even if they are symptom-free, patients who have undergone gastric surgery undergo gastroscopy at regular intervals for control purposes.”
It can be lived for many years without any problems
Very early stage tumors in gastric cancer can be treated endoscopically without the need for surgery. General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Dr. Erman Aytaç stated that, apart from endoscopic treatment methods, the main treatment method in stages 1-3 of the disease is the surgical procedure. In the 2nd and 3rd stages of the disease, chemotherapy is usually applied first, and the surgery is performed later. According to the pathology report, additional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be applied after the surgery. If the tumor has spread to distant organs such as the liver and lungs, that is, if the disease is in stage 4, the main treatment method is chemotherapy.
Indicating that many factors affect the treatment results, Aytaç said, “The most important of these factors are the stage of the disease and the quality of the treatments. Considering the advantages of closed methods to the patient in experienced centers, the surgery can be performed laparoscopically or robotically.”
