Four major misunderstandings about gastric cancer

Most gastric cancer patients are already in the middle or late stages when diagnosed. This is partly due to misunderstandings people have about gastric cancer. For example, they believe that stomach problems are minor ailments that can be cured by taking some medicine, which results in the early diagnosis of gastric cancer being delayed; they believe that gastric cancer is a disease that only affects the elderly and that stomach discomfort in young people is definitely not gastric cancer, thus missing out on gastric cancer screening.

Misconception 1: Stomach problems are minor issues that can be cured by taking some medicine.

80% of gastric cancer patients have no clinical symptoms in the early stage, and even if they do, they are easily confused with other gastric diseases such as gastritis and gastric ulcer. Therefore, people often buy medicine on their own based on their past experience and symptoms, and are not impatient to diagnose gastric cancer.

Misconception 2: Gastric cancer is a disease that only affects the elderly and young people will not get it.

Many people think that gastric cancer is exclusive to the elderly, and when young people experience unexplained upper abdominal discomfort, bloating, dull pain, feeling of fullness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, drowsiness, fatigue and other symptoms, it may be due to eating the wrong food or being too stressed and overworked. In fact, the incidence of gastric cancer in young people under 35 in my country can be as high as 11%, and the malignancy is high. Therefore, when encountering the above symptoms, you must pay attention to them and seek timely diagnosis and treatment.

Misconception 3: Cancer will not regenerate after gastric ulcer has been removed.

Some patients with gastric ulcers think that since the ulcerated part of the stomach has been removed, it is impossible for them to get gastric cancer and they take it lightly. In fact, most patients still have the possibility of getting gastric cancer after the stomach is removed, which is medically called residual gastric cancer. Therefore, patients with gastric ulcers should also undergo regular examinations after gastrectomy to be alert to the occurrence of gastric cancer.

Myth 4: Gastritis will eventually develop into gastric cancer.

Modern people work under intense rhythm, huge competitive pressure, frequent social activities, etc., which causes many white-collar workers to suffer from chronic gastritis. If the symptoms are not cured for a long time, they will often think that they have gastric cancer, which will make them depressed and nervous. In fact, chronic gastritis is only a predisposing factor for gastric cancer, and the occurrence of gastric cancer is related to many factors such as genetics, diet, geographical environment, and disease.