600 Costa Ricans Die
Each Year From Stomach
or Gastric Cancer
Stomach or gastric
Cancer has been a public
health concern in Costa
Rica for more than 40
years. On average, 600
people die each year.
The province with the
greatest number of cases
of Stomach or gastric
cancer is Cartago, with
the highest number of
deaths reported,
according to Dr. HOracio
Solano Montero, head of
the Centro de Cáncer
Gástrico del Hospital
Max Peralta de Cartago.
Stomach or gastric
cancer can develop in
any part of the stomach
and may spread
throughout the stomach
and to other organs;
particularly the
esophagus and the small
intestine.
Stomach cancer is often
asymptomatic or causes
only nonspecific
symptoms in its early
stages. By the time
symptoms occur, the
cancer has generally
metastasized to other
parts of the body, one
of the main reasons for
its poor prognosis.
Like any cancer,
treatment is adapted to
fit each person's
individual needs and
depends on the size,
location, and extent of
the tumor, the stage of
the disease, and general
health. Cancer of the
stomach is difficult to
cure unless it is found
in an early stage
(before it has begun to
spread). Unfortunately,
because early stomach
cancer causes few
symptoms, the disease is
usually advanced when
the diagnosis is made
According to Dr.
Montero, 60% of the
cases detected at the
Centro are in the early
stages and with the
right diagnosis
treatment has a cure
rate of 90% or greater.
Dr. Montero added that
at other medical centres
around the country,
using traditional
diagnostic methods, only
13% to 15% of the
cancers are detected in
the early stages.
To find the cause of
symptoms, the doctor
asks about the patient's
medical history, does a
physical exam, and may
order laboratory
studies. The patient may
also have one or all of
the following exams:
Gastroscopic exam; Upper
GI series; Computed
tomography or CT
scanning of the abdomen
may reveal gastric
cancer, but is more
useful to determine
invasion into adjacent
tissues, or the presence
of spread to local lymph
nodes.
Stomach cancer occurs
twice as often in men
and it is more common in
people over the age of
55.
Changes in diet and food
preparation have led to
a recent decrease in the
incidence of cancer of
the lower stomach
(distal gastric cancer).
However, incidence of
cancer of the upper
stomach (proximal
gastric cancer) has
increased, primarily as
a result of the
prevalence of obesity
and gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD). |
