Gastric cancer is one of the common malignant tumors in the world and accounts for the first place in the incidence of malignant tumors in China. Because early gastric cancer (EGC) lacks specific clinical symptoms and signs, the compliance of screening is poor and expensive, and some non-specific symptoms (such as stomach pain, postprandial fullness, belching, black stool, etc.) appear only after the development of the disease affects gastric function, and it is difficult to distinguish it from chronic gastric diseases, so EGC is rarely diagnosed, and most patients are already in the middle and late stages when they are diagnosed, and about 50% of them It is difficult to perform radical resection in about 50% of these patients. Therefore, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment are the keys to improve the cure rate of gastric cancer.
How to get the early diagnosis of gastric cancer?
In order to obtain early diagnosis of gastric cancer, one should pay special attention to the following symptoms.
(1) Middle-aged or above, with no previous history of gastric disease and unexplained epigastric discomfort, loss of appetite, vague pain in epigastrium and weight loss within a short period of time.
(2) A history of previous gastric disease with a recent increase in symptoms, especially when the symptoms do not improve significantly with medication.
(3) Those with unexplained black stools, vomiting coffee-like material or anemia.
(4) Those who have been diagnosed with gastric ulcer, gastric polyp, or chronic atrophic gastritis.
(5) Those who have undergone gastrectomy for many years due to benign gastric lesions and have recently reappeared with gastric symptoms.
When the above non-specific symptoms and signs appear, one should promptly see the outpatient oncology surgery or gastrointestinal surgery and perform the following tests.
(1) Gastric fluid occult blood test.
(2) Gastroscopy + pathology examination.
(3) Ultrasonic endoscopy: it can show five levels of gastric wall more clearly and identify early gastric cancer (EGC) and progressive gastric cancer (AGC) more accurately. eGC shows local interruption of mucosa, uneven surface, small elevation or depression, and submucosal structures can still be shown. agc generally shows larger tumor, deeper or wider invasion of gastric wall, and destruction, disorder or disappearance of hierarchical structures. Ultrasonic endoscopy is valuable for preliminary determination of the depth of gastric cancer infiltration, preoperative clinical staging and selection of surgical methods.
How to effectively prevent gastric cancer?
In view of the complex etiology of gastric cancer and the exact pathogenesis is still unclear, in order to reduce the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer, three-level prevention should be carried out.
1. Primary prevention: It refers to trying to control and avoid the known suspected cancer-causing factors and correcting the bad habits.
(1) Eat less stimulating diet and pickled and smoked products, abstain from smoking and alcohol, prevent overeating, and have a light and low-salt diet.
(2) Regular consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits (especially more garlic, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, cauliflower, etc. should be consumed).
(3) Consume more milk and dairy products and increase the amount of protein in food such as fresh fish and meat.
(4) eradicate HP infection in the stomach, patients with long-term gastric ulcer, gastric polyps, chronic atrophic gastritis should undergo regular gastroscopy.
(5) Maintain a good state of mind, combine work and rest, and exercise in moderation.
2.Secondary prevention: to detect susceptible individuals in the natural population and provide regular follow-up examinations in order to achieve “three early stages” (early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment). Universal screening is an important way to detect early gastric cancer (EGC). Anyone who has the above-mentioned symptoms of early gastric cancer should be listed as the target of screening and undergo the above-mentioned examinations regularly.
3.Tertiary prevention: that is, to strengthen comprehensive treatment for patients with middle and advanced gastric cancer, to improve survival rate, reduce patients’ pain and improve life quality.