Every year, around 880 people in Switzerland are diagnosed with stomach cancer, which is around 2% of all cancers. 63% of those affected are men, 37% women. Stomach cancer is more common in older people: around 90% of patients are aged 50 or older at the time of diagnosis.
Symptoms
- Loss of appetite, feeling of fullness, nausea and vomiting
- Pain in the upper abdomen
- Difficulty swallowing, pain during and after eating
- Unintentional weight loss
- Sudden intolerance to certain foods
- Black discolouration of the stool (tarry stools)These symptoms can also be caused by other illnesses. If they persist over a longer period of time, they should be clarified by a doctor.
Causes
- An infection with the Helicobacter pylori bacterium
- Excessive consumption of cured, smoked meat or fish, highly salted foods and preservatives.
- Chronic inflammation of the stomach lining
- Ionising radiation (X-rays or gamma radiation)
- Ménétrier's disease (enlargement of the mucosal folds in the stomach)
- If a first-degree family member (parents, siblings, children) already has stomach cancer
- Certain genetic changes (e.g. familial adenomatous polyposis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome)
Diagnosis
A gastroscopy is performed to diagnose stomach cancer. During this examination, the doctor inserts a tube with an in-built camera into the stomach in order to take a close look at it and take tissue samples.
Therapy
The treatment of stomach cancer is planned individually. The size, type and spread of the tumour as well as the general state of health of the person affected are decisive for the treatment.
The main treatment methods are
- Endoscopic mucosal resection: If a stomach tumour is limited to the stomach lining (mucosa), it can often be removed during an endoscopy.
- Surgery: partial or complete removal of the stomach
- Drug therapy (chemotherapy, targeted drugs)
radiotherapy
These therapies are used individually or in combination.
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