The human stomach is a muscular organ with a large number of nerve endings that surround it and under any influences / changes ensure its instantaneous reaction. He receives energy from food and, by processing it, carries out connected functions with other organs. Any dramatic changes in this chain lead to numerous diseases of .
Interrelation: gastritis and cancer
Science does not determine the exact causes that lead to the formation and development of cancer of the stomach. However, many diseases that can be conditionally described as precancerous, contribute to its occurrence: an ulcer, pernicious anemia with atrophic gastritis, chronic gastritis.
There are two main positions in the scientific environment:
- Chronic atrophic or polypoid inflammation is accepted as a potentially precancerous condition. Supporters of this theory introduced the concept of gastritis-cancer.
- The inflammatory process is a good prerequisite for the onset of a malignant tumor, but is not a direct cause of the disease.
Atrophic gastritis and cancer
The most dangerous of gastritis is atrophic gastritis. In this case, there is a decrease in protection, damage to the bottom of the muscular organ, a violation of the production of enzymes responsible for the digestive process, which eventually leads to the fact that incoming food triggers a destructive process.
There are four types of atrophic gastritis. A precancerous condition is the atrophy of all parts of the stomach( multifactorial type).In this case, the risk of developing cancerous tumors is 5 times greater than in comparison with usual gastritis.
Gastric cancer is a combination of long-term multi-stage processes in the human body. This process is called the Correa cascade, which includes chronic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and cancer. Atrophic gastritis in this cascade is a halt in the distance to the occurrence of malignant tumors.
How to prevent the transition from atrophic gastritis to gastric cancer?
To exclude the formation of malignant tumors with atrophic gastritis, it is necessary:
- previously detection of changes in the conduct of the diagnosis of the organism;
- treatment and prevention with constant control over the patient's health.
The study of patients with gastritis showed that with the volume of focalities of metaplasia of the mucous membrane of the muscular organ exceeding 1/5 of the surface of the gastric epithelium, the probability of dysplasia with the further development of cancer tumors increases manyfold.
It is not possible to determine the area of the lesion by the standard endoscopic method. The method of chromoscopy, consisting of applying a color dye to the gastric mucosa, is an effective method of diagnosis during endoscopy. When this method is used, foci of intestinal metaplasia absorb the dye, and healthy foci remain with the dye applied. Based on the information received, the size of the lesion is assessed, after which specific sections of the tissue are analyzed and dysplasia or metaplasia is detected.
Study of the tissue structure by various methods in the early stages of cancer is useless, in rare cases gives false information about the loss of glands, and is an unreliable method of determining the disease. Therefore, in medicine, minimally invasive hematologic tests are used, supplementing the assessment of the condition of the subjects, and reducing the probability of errors after diagnosis.
After the tests, the patient is prescribed treatment, depending on the degree of the disease. In parallel, it is necessary for the patient himself to reduce the risks by performing the following actions:
- weight control;
- application of active physical activity;
- daily intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, natural juices, vitamins;
- prohibition on the use of canned and smoked products;
- quitting;
- prohibition on the use of strong alcohol, especially with fatty foods.