Eating smoked meat frequently can increase the risk of stomach cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in my country, and its incidence rate ranks first among all tumors in my country. Every year, about 170,000 people die from gastric cancer, which is almost 1/4 of all deaths from malignant tumors, and more than 20,000 new gastric cancer patients are born every year. Gastric cancer is indeed a disease that seriously threatens people's health. Gastric cancer can occur at any age, but it is more common in people aged 40-60 years, and the ratio of males to females is about 2:1.

The cause of the disease is unknown, and it may be related to multiple factors, such as lifestyle habits, diet types, environmental factors, genetic quality, mental factors, etc. It is also related to chronic gastritis, gastric polyps, gastric mucosal dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia, postoperative residual stomach, and long-term Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection.

Gastric cancer can occur in any part of the stomach, but is more common in the antrum, especially the lesser curvature. According to the depth of cancer tissue infiltration, it is divided into early gastric cancer and advanced gastric cancer (mid- and late-stage gastric cancer). The early symptoms of gastric cancer are often not obvious, such as vague upper abdominal discomfort, dull pain, belching, heartburn, loss of appetite, mild anemia, etc., which are similar to the symptoms of gastric duodenal ulcer or chronic gastritis.

Regular consumption of processed meats such as bacon, sausage, ham and other foods will increase the risk of stomach cancer.

Scientists believe that the increased risk of stomach cancer may be related to the nitrates added to these foods, or to the effects of toxic substances produced when the meat is smoked.

The effectiveness of gastric cancer treatment depends on whether it can be diagnosed early. If radical surgery can be performed before metastasis occurs, the effect will be better, especially when the cancer tissue has not yet invaded the muscle layer and serosa, the survival rate is the highest.