Stomach cancer is a common life-threatening cancer of the digestive tract. Study has proved that incidence of stomach cancer is probably related with dietary habits and other stomach diseases. Understanding of stomach cancer prevention is very important.

Seven aspects to prevent stomach cancer

Although causes of stomach cancer are still not completely known, study has found out that it has close relation with environment, dietary habits, precancerous lesion and genetic factors.

1. Reduce or avoid intake of salted dishes.

Salted dishes contain a large number of nitrite and secondary amine, which can form nitrosamine compounds, a strong carcinogen, under action of bacteria and suitable acid environment. Therefore, foods should be taken by fresh and preserved in refrigerator.

2. Reduce or avoid intake of smoked or fried foods

Smoked fish and meat contain plenty of carcinogens, for example, the benzo-pyrene 3-4, which are also contained in the fried, roasted, burned foods and hot edible oil that has been repeatedly used. Therefore, we should cut down the intake of smoked and fried foods.

3. Don’t eat moldy foods

Moldy foods are often seen in our daily life. Foods’ becoming moldy is caused by contaminated molds, some of which are toxigenic fungi, a kind of strong carcinogen. Moreover, under the action of toxigenic fungi, some foods can produce abundant nitrite and secondary amine, which can be compounded into nitrosamines compounds by the stomach and become cancerogenic under certain condition of the human body.

4. Avoid smoking and reduce drinking

Smoke contains many carcinogens or substances that can promote cancers, such as benzo-pyrene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are some of the causes of stomach cancer and esophageal cancer. Although alcohol itself is not carcinogen, but it can stimulate stomach mucosa and damage the mucosal tissues, and further promote the absorption of carcinogen. Drinking combined with smoking can result in even severer damages, as alcohol can improve the permeability of cell membrane and benefit the absorption of carcinogen in smoke.

5. Establish good dietary habits

Fail to eat in a fixed time and amount, to eat and drink too much at one meal, or eating too fast or too hot, can bring great damaging stimulation to the stomach and cause stomach cancer. Moreover, over intake of salt or always being glooming when eating is likely to result in stomach cancer.

6. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit.

Eat more foods that contain vitamin A, B, E and properly supplement protein to protect the stomach mucosa, thus to prevent stomach cancer.

7. Actively treat precancerous lesion

Stomach cancer has close relation with atrophic gastritis, while that resulted from stomach ulcer accounts for 5% to 10% of all the stomach cancers. Stomach polyp with characteristic of adenoma multiple are more common than those solitary stomach polyps. When the diameter of the polyp exceeds 2cm, it means a trend of canceration. Pernicious anemia also has certain relation with stomach cancer. Therefore, patients who have atrophic gastritis, stomach ulcer and pernicious anemia should go to hospital for regular examination and treatment to exclude canceration and prevent stomach cancer.

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.