Stomach Cancer Research Paper

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Digestive Disorder
Etiology and Epidemiology Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is the disease that sounds exactly what its name refers to; cancer of the stomach. Although this cancer is named after its point of origin(like many other cancers), tumors can also spread to other parts of the body as the disease progresses (American Cancer Society).The early stages of stomach cancer is characterized by its symptoms of stomach discomfort, nausea, loss of appetite, and heartburn, while the late stages are characterized by jaundice, weight loss, vomiting, stomach pain, etc. (National Cancer Institute). It is due to the vagueness of the initial symptoms that the early signs of stomach cancer may be misdiagnosed or easily ignored, resulting …show more content…

In the United States, the disease is not so common, but is quite fatal due to the unawareness of disease and the lack of early screening programs, leading to a late diagnosis, In other countries, such as Japan, Chile, and Iceland, where the disease is much more common, early screening programs are well implemented and the cancers are detected early enough to be treated (Livstone, Merck Manuals Consumer Version). Stomach cancer is much more common among blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians in comparison to other races or ethnicities. Those who are 50 years or older are more at risk of forming the disease as 75% of stomach cancer cases are within that age group (Livstone, Merck Manuals Professional Edition). Stomach cancer is also more prominent in men than women. In addition, those who smoke, have high salt diets, or have had the Helicobacter pylori infection or gastric polyps are more at risk (American Cancer …show more content…

While those who are in the early stages where the cancer is confined to the linings and muscle wall of the stomach have a high five-year survival rate of 71%, this doesn’t apply to most of the stomach cancer cases in the United States as stomach cancer is usually diagnosed in the late stages, when the cancer has spread to lymph nodes and is close to nearby organs, where the five-year survival rate decreases to as low as 4%. In John’s case, he is in stage IIIB where the five-year survival rate is 14% (American Cancer Society). Although stomach cancer is not curable, it is still

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