Stomach Cancer Causes
What causes stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer risk factors, causes
In gastric cancer, the exact causes have not yet been clarified clearly. However, there are a series of risk factors that increase the probability of illness.
Genetic risk factors
The risk of developing stomach cancer increases with hereditary or genetic taint. Thus, an increased risk of disease in first degree family members (parents, children, siblings) are known. People with blood group A are also frequently affected.
Exogenous risk factors
Eating habits play a major role in gastric cancer as exogenous causes. While in Japan, China, Chile, Finland, Colombia and Venezuela, many people suffer from stomach cancer, comparatively, the descendants of Japanese who emigrated to the United States, are no longer at risk. This observation suggests that the increased incidence of stomach cancer is largely due to the diet rather than the hereditary predisposition:
- The high nitrate content, such as smoked and salted food, will be converted from nitrates to nitrites by gastrointestinal bacteria, or saliva when chewing, or food processed by frying or grilling, and in connection with protein into carcinogenic nitrosamines, which will increase the risk of stomach cancer, as well as colon cancer, liver cancer.
- Since nitrate is present in many vegetables, they should always be eaten fresh, before they can be converted into nitrosamines.
- Besides the nitrites, the diet may include certain toxins of mold fungi, such as aflatoxin, which is also a risk factor of stomach cancer, however especially liver cancer.
Although the bacterium is found in almost all patients with stomach cancer, reverse conclusion is not established: Helicobacter pylori infections are very common, and only few of the infected people fall ill in stomach cancer during their lifetime. Therefore, it is controversial whether an asymptomatic Helicobacter pylori colonization in the gastric mucosa should be preventively eliminated with antibiotics to prevent stomach cancer. After collection and test of the bacterium, the parties will receive appropriate antibiotic treatment.
Article From: Stomachcancersymptoms.org
Created: 2011-12-08
Last update: 2012-02-21