Causes and treatment of anemia in patients with gastric cancer

Gastric cancer patients are prone to anemia, including preoperative anemia and postoperative anemia.

Let’s talk about preoperative anemia first. There are many reasons for it. First of all, gastric cancer patients have decreased appetite, reduced gastrointestinal absorption, insufficient intake, and gastrointestinal bleeding. At the same time, metabolic disorders in the case of tumors ultimately lead to iron deficiency.

In this case, folic acid, vitamins and iron can be given. If the hemoglobin level is less than 60g/L before gastric cancer surgery, red blood cell suspension should be transfused as appropriate, and intravenous nutrition should be strengthened before surgery. When the hemoglobin level reaches 80g/L, surgical resection of the tumor should be considered, and adjuvant chemotherapy should be given after surgery.

After gastrectomy, most of the stomach is removed, and the number of gastric parietal cells decreases, which makes iron absorption difficult and iron deficiency anemia is likely to occur. In addition, damage to the gastric mucosa causes poor digestion, affects the absorption of nutrients, and is also likely to cause anemia.

Gastric cancer patients with anemia after surgery can use food therapy to replenish blood. Generally speaking, pig liver, black fungus, milk, and donkey-hide gelatin are all good blood tonics. Among them, the most effective are black fungus and brown sugar. Chinese medicine believes that black fungus can replenish qi and brown sugar can replenish blood. These two foods are very effective for anemia caused by deficiency of both qi and blood. In addition, the trace elements iron, arsenic, manganese, and zinc contained in black fungus and brown sugar have anti-cancer activity and can play an auxiliary therapeutic role in the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer. These two foods are suitable for gastric cancer patients with iron deficiency.

Once gastric cancer patients develop anemia, they should pay attention to it, go to the hospital as soon as possible to find out the cause of ischemia, and receive symptomatic treatment.