IS STOMACH CANCER HEREDITARY?
According to the reports of world health organisation , 723,000 deaths are caused due to stomach cancer worldwide. It is the third leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide.
What is stomach cancer?
The 90-95% of stomach cancer generally begins from the mucus producing cells that line stomach. This type of stomach cancer is known as Adenocarcinoma. The other types of stomach or gastric cancers include Lymphoma,Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and Carcinoid tumor.
What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?
The common symptoms of stomach cancer are as follows:
- nausea and vomiting
- frequent heartburn
- loss of appetite sometimes accompanied by sudden weight loss
- constant bloating
- early satiety (feeling full after eating only a small amount)
- bloody stools
- jaundice
- excessive fatigue
- stomach pain, which may be worse after meals
What are the causes of stomach cancer?
The various risk factors for stomach cancer are:
- A diet high in salty and smoked foods
- A diet low in fruits and vegetables
- Family history of stomach cancer
- Infection with Helicobacter pylori
- Long-term stomach inflammation
- Pernicious anemia
- Smoking
- Stomach polyps
Is stomach cancer hereditary?
There are 10% chances that your cancer may be hereditary. 1 out of 10 families that has a patient of stomach cancer, suffers from the increased risks and chances of gastric cancer.some of the genetic conditions that are known to cause genetic predisposition for stomach cancer are:
- Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer
- Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (also called HNPCC, or Lynch syndrome)
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- Familial adenomatous polyposis
- Peutz-Jeghers syndrome