Introduction: It has been learned that as the second most common cancer in China, stomach cancer currently sees 400,000 new cases annually in the country, accounting for 42% of the world's total. Notably, a trend of younger patients with stomach cancer is emerging in China, with the proportion of patients under 30 years old soaring from 1.7% in the 1970s to the current 3.3%.
Why have young people become the "main force" in stomach cancer cases?
Experts explain that as work pressure increases and life quickens, many young people lead irregular lives. Especially career-oriented young people often stay up excessively or have irregular eating habits, which leads to nutritional imbalance, weakens the body's resistance, and easily induces stomach diseases. Irregular diet is the primary cause of stomach cancer in young people.
Chestnut Chicken
In addition, many young people enjoy pickled and smoked foods. The former contains high levels of nitrites, which can transform in the stomach into strongly carcinogenic nitrosamines. The latter, due to high-temperature cooking, forms carcinogenic substances. Hot pot and spicy hot pot are very popular among young people; and for those who frequently eat very hot food, the risk of stomach cancer is more than 4 times higher than those without this habit.
At the same time, excessive smoking and drinking are also fueling the prevalence of stomach cancer among young people. Thiocyanates in tobacco can increase the synthesis of nitrosamines, carcinogenic substances in the stomach. Excessive drinking can easily cause chronic stomach inflammation, inducing gastric and duodenal ulcers; if one continues to drink heavily, it can lead to severe hyperplasia of the gastric mucosa, ultimately resulting in cancer. Many young smokers are also heavy drinkers; their chances of developing stomach cancer are greatly increased. The risk of stomach cancer for heavy drinkers is 2 times that of the general population, for smokers it is 2.4 times, and for those who are both heavy drinkers and smokers, the risk is as high as 15.5 times!
Beef and Radish Soup
Experts point out that a concern is that stomach cancer in young people is often misdiagnosed or missed. Over 70% of early-stage stomach cancer patients have no discomfort at all, and because young people have stronger constitutions and higher tolerance, their symptoms are even less obvious. Therefore, inexperienced medical staff often misdiagnose their symptoms as gastritis, ulcers, or indigestion. The rate of missed and misdiagnosed cases of stomach cancer in young people is as high as 27%. This means 1 in 4 cases is missed or misdiagnosed. Early-stage stomach cancer often only involves changes in the mucosa.
Recommendation for high-risk groups: Screen every two years
It is understood that if the cancer is detected when it is still confined to the gastric mucosa, the 5-year survival rate can reach 95%. However, regrettably, the current early diagnosis rate for stomach cancer is less than 10%. "On one hand, early-stage stomach cancer has no typical symptoms, and symptoms such as upper abdominal dull pain, bloating, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting are not exclusive to early-stage stomach cancer, so they are easily overlooked as common stomach ailments. On the other hand, there is a general lack of awareness about stomach cancer among patients and society. People do not recognize changes in their condition and do not have regular health screenings, which means most patients are already in advanced stages or have inoperable cancer by the time they seek medical attention," experts said.
Sunflower Seed Salad
Experts suggest that to control and even reduce the incidence of stomach cancer, the key is to carry out stomach cancer screening in high-risk areas and populations, including screening for Helicobacter pylori (HP), barium meal X-rays, or endoscopy. Studies have shown that large-scale screening with an interval of 1.5 to 2 years is helpful for detecting early-stage stomach cancer.
Experts remind that if symptoms such as upper abdominal discomfort, dull pain in the pit of the stomach, feeling of fullness after eating; loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue; frequent vomiting of overnight food and bile-free gastric fluid; black, tarry stools appear, one should seek medical attention promptly without delay. For those in high-risk groups for stomach cancer, such as those with chronic atrophic gastritis, gastric ulcers, gastric polyps, pernicious anemia, a history of partial gastrectomy, or a family history of stomach cancer, regular gastroscopy is even more important.
Bacon and Potato Pancake
Chestnut chicken
radish crotch soup
Bacon pancake
Sunflower salad