Oncologist names the first symptoms of stomach cancer

Gastric cancer remains one of the most common and deadly cancers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million new cases are recorded annually. On December 26, Magomed Sulimanov, oncologist and consultant of the Resymon platform (an application for collecting data on cancer patients' well-being), told Izvestia about the first symptoms of this dangerous disease.

He noted that stomach cancer occurs most often in men over 65 and women over 70. However, this does not mean that the disease cannot occur at a young age - such cases are also not rare. It should be understood that gastric cancer is characterized by an aggressive course, and at late stages the chances of successful treatment are significantly reduced. Therefore, the disease is very important to diagnose in time.

"Unfortunately, stomach cancer can be asymptomatic for a long time. The first signs most often appear only at late stages. In the early stages, the tumor can masquerade as gastritis or peptic ulcer disease. But it is worth paying attention to such symptoms as discomfort after eating, sour belching, heartburn, nausea, a feeling of overfilling the stomach without overeating, loss of appetite and sharp weight loss, general weakness, rapid fatigue, "- warned the doctor.

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According to him, in case the diagnosis is confirmed, you should not panic. Today there are methods that allow recovery even at late stages. The mood for recovery is very important.

"It is equally important that the patient is involved in the process of diagnosis and treatment. It is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's recommendations, as well as timely inform him of any changes in his condition. Then the chances of recovery will increase significantly," Sulimanov emphasized.

Speaking about treatment, he noted that everything depends on the stage at which the cancer was detected. In the early stages, when metastases have not yet appeared, surgery is possible. In stages III-IV, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy are used. In some cases, hyperthermic chemotherapy may be used to remove metastases.

Earlier, on December 4, oncologist Suna Isakova of the medical company SberZdorovye told Izvestia that malignant neoplasms of the oral cavity and oropharynx are relatively rare - less than 10 cases per 100,000 people per year. The cause of their development is considered to be tobacco in various forms (chewing, in the form of cigarettes), as well as the use of strong alcohol, infection with human papillomavirus, especially the 16th and 18th types.