‘People with blood type A are at higher risk of stomach cancer’

SAMSUN (İHA) – General Surgeon Prof. Dr. Serdar Yol, stating that stomach cancer, which accounts for 7.4% of cancers in men and 6% in women in Turkey, progresses insidiously, said, ‘The risk of developing stomach cancer is higher in men, individuals with blood type A, smokers, and obese individuals.’ Prof. Dr. Serdar Yol from Liv Hospital Samsun General Surgery and Medical Oncology Clinic emphasized the increase in stomach cancer in recent years and pointed out that the disease can progress without any symptoms. General Surgeon Prof. Dr. Yol stated that to prevent stomach cancer, it is necessary to avoid excessively salty and pickled foods every day.
“The second most common type of cancer in the world” Stating that stomach cancer is the second most common type of cancer worldwide after lung cancer, Prof. Dr. Yol said, ‘Stomach cancer, which accounts for 7.4% of cancers in men and 6% in women in our country, has been increasing in recent years. While the risk of developing stomach cancer is higher in men, individuals with blood type A, smokers, and obese individuals, the disease can also develop for different reasons. Some of these reasons can be listed as follows; neglect of treatment of the bacteria called ‘Helicobacter pylori’ that causes indigestion, bloating, and ulcers in the stomach, no acid secretion in the stomach for many years due to cutting of stomach nerves in the past, smoked foods (stomach cancer incidence is high in Japan), genetic predisposition, gastritis and vitamin B12 deficiency in the individual, and stomach polyps.”
“Pay attention to bloating in the upper abdomen, early satiety, and nausea” Emphasizing that stomach cancer can sometimes progress without any symptoms, Prof. Dr. Serdar Yol listed the things to pay attention to as follows: “Stomach cancer can sometimes progress insidiously without any symptoms. When the symptoms are seen in the late stages, the patient may have lost the chance for surgical intervention. On the other hand, bloating in the upper abdomen, pain, early satiety, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, rapid weight loss, anemia, positive fecal occult blood test are the main symptoms of the disease. However, all these findings being common complaints in daily life can lead to delays in seeking medical attention. Early diagnosis of the disease provides an advantage in terms of surgical interventions. When cancer is diagnosed in advanced stages, the risk of spread to surrounding organs reduces the chances of definitive treatment of the disease. In such cases, chemotherapy is administered before surgery and regression in cancer is monitored. The goal here is to regain the chance of surgery. If there is no chance of surgical intervention for cancer, ‘palliative’ surgical methods that will provide comfort to the patient are applied. In this procedure, the treatment of the patient for cancer is not performed, but the patient is enabled to continue eating and drinking normally.”
“Do not neglect precautions after surgery” When surgical methods are used for the treatment of the patient, indicating that a large part or all of the stomach is removed, Prof. Dr. Serdar Yol stated, “After such an operation, it is recommended that the patient eats at frequent intervals, in small portions, chews the food very well before swallowing. After stomach cancer surgery and treatment, the patient should not think ‘I had surgery and got rid of it’, but should continue regular check-ups.”
“Delay in treatment reduces the chance of success” Emphasizing that the success of treatment in stomach cancer depends on the time of detection of cancer, the stage of detection, the age of the patient, the accompanying diseases, and the involvement of lymph nodes and surrounding and distant organs, Prof. Dr. Yol said, ‘When diagnosed and treated in the early stage, the 5-year survival rate is 90-100%, whereas in advanced-stage tumors, this rate drops to 15-25%. Avoiding excessively salty and pickled foods every day, staying away from grilled foods, eating plenty of fresh vegetables, not neglecting sports, and maintaining an ideal weight are important factors that increase the success of disease treatment.”