The stomach is a muscular sac located in the upper middle of our abdomen, just below the ribs. Stomach receives, holds the food we eat and helps in further breakdown & digestion. Stomach cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that begins in the stomach. It is also known as gastric cancer and can arise in any part of the stomach. Stomach cancer is the 5 th most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, and the 7 th most prevalent. The month of November every year is considered as Stomach Cancer Awareness Month.

A brief about disease:-

Types of Stomach Cancer

• Intestinal type-Associated with chronic gastritis, less aggressive, accounts for around 53% of cases.
• Diffuse type-Associated with younger age group, more aggressive, accounts for around 33% of cases.
• Unclassified-Accounts for around 14% of cases.

Signs & Symptoms of Stomach Cancer

• Asymptomatic or silent
• Most common symptom of stomach cancer is similar to peptic ulcer
• Nausea or vomiting
• Anorexia
• Early satiety
• Abdominal pain
• Gastrointestinal blood loss, visible with Vomitus or Black tarry stool
• Weight loss
• Dysphasia

Stomach Cancer, It does not have typical early signs, which leads to diagnosis of disease in advanced stage. People under high risk group of stomach cancer should undergo regular check-ups & doctor consultation. Measures to reduce down the risk factors should also be considered.

Risk factors in Stomach Cancer

• Men over 55 years of age has the risk of stomach cancer
• Diet with low content of fruits and vegetables
• Diet with high content of salted, smoked or preserved food
• Diet low in Vit.A & Vit.C
• Pernicious anemia(vit.B-12 deficiency)
• H.pylori infection leads to 3 to 6 times increase in risk of gastric cancer
• Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, cigarette smoking
• Intestinal type of cancer in the distal stomach
• Family history of any Cancer
• BRCA2 gene mutation
• NSAIDs
• Radiation exposure
• Prior Gastric surgery for benign ulcer

How to prevent Stomach Cancer

• Treat stomach infection as soon as possible
• Avoid addictions like smoking, alcohol & tobacco
• Include lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals & anti-oxidants in diet. Limit the amount of alcohol & tobacco products.
• Avoid eating smoked and pickled foods and salted meats and fish.
• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables and plenty of whole grain foods, such as whole grain breads, cereals, pasta and rice.
• Maintain a healthy weight

Tests for Stomach Cancer

• Scans- USG, MRI or CT scans, PET scan
• Complete blood count, Antigens
• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with biopsy
• Stool test to check for blood in stools.

TREATMENT AT D.S. RESEARCH CENTRE

Ayurveda has a distinctive concept concerning the mechanism that prevents the growth of cancer cells in the human body. While treating Cancer we need to treat the root cause of cancer disease, as symptomatic treatment will not help in eradicating the disease from body, which if not done causes recurrence of the same, so recurrence can also be prevented by following Ayurvedic treatment for Cancer, along with maintaining the normal Life quality. Many Ayurvedic medicines for cancer treatment have shown promising results, Withania somnifera, Sida cordifolia, Asparagus racemosa, Vitis vinifera, Plumbago zeylenica, Tinospora cordifolia, Zingiber officinale, to name some. Ayurveda emphasizes on maintaining a balance & harmony, thus providing complete treatment for any Disease (including cancer).