1. The need for gastric cancer screening:
Gastric cancer is a type of cancer originating from the gastric mucosa, with the highest incidence and mortality rate among gastrointestinal cancers. According to statistics from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2018, Vietnam had 17,527 people with gastric cancer, 15,065 people died from this disease, ranking third among cancers.
Screening for gastric cancer is to detect cancer before it has any symptoms, thereby detecting cancer at an early stage and the disease is much easier to treat than at a late stage. Research shows that if the disease is detected early, the chance of surviving 5 years after surgery is 80 – 90%, but if detected late, the chance of surviving 5 years after surgery is only 10 – 15%..
Over 80% of patients with early-stage stomach cancer have no clinical manifestations or symptoms that are confused with other stomach diseases such as: stomach ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux…
2. Screening for stomach cancer is necessary when experiencing the following symptoms
Mild abdominal discomfort such as nausea and loss of appetite
Difficulty swallowing due to a tumor involving the upper part of the stomach, near the esophagus
Feeling of fullness after eating a small amount of food
The following symptoms may indicate progression of the disease: Fatigue, weight loss, iron deficiency anemia, blood loss – vomiting blood or coffee-ground-like material or passing black stools, nausea and vomiting – late symptoms due to obstruction of gastric drainage due to advanced cancer.
3. Preventing esophageal cancer
To effectively prevent esophageal cancer, it is necessary to first limit the risks of causing the disease with the following measures:
Minimize the abuse of stimulants, especially alcohol and tobacco
Have a scientific lifestyle, a nutritional regimen that fully supplements vitamins and nutrients necessary for the body
For patients with a history of prolonged esophagitis, neck cancer… need to see a doctor regularly to promptly detect the disease
