By CHIDINMA EWUNONU-ALUKO

Dr Vincent Osoka, General Surgery Resident at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, emphasises that reducing intake of smoked meats and exposure to tobacco smoke can lower the risk of developing gastric cancer.

Osoka made the remark on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

He said regular upper gastrointestinal surveillance was necessary for those with inherited conditions that increase the risk of gastric cancer.

According to Osoka, stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, occurs when normal cells in the stomach lining begin to grow and divide uncontrollably, resulting in the formation of a tumor.

This tumor he adds, can penetrate deeper into the stomach wall and may spread to other organs.

“Gastric cancer is biologically aggressive, with high rates of recurrence and mortality; it is the fourth most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

“The major risk factors for gastric cancer include both environmental and genetic factors.

“Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with an increased risk of developing stomach cancer.

“This bacterium has been linked to peptic ulcer disease. It is important to clarify that not all upper abdominal pain is due to gastric ulcers.

“Many Nigerians mistakenly assume that any epigastric pain is caused by a gastric ulcer and often self-administer antacids,” he said.

He advised that It was crucial to investigate such symptoms further to rule out the possibility of gastric cancer.

The medical expert noted that high-salt foods, particularly from salted or smoked meats, along with a low intake of fruits and vegetables, had been linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer.

According to him, the increase in refrigeration over the past 70 years has likely contributed to a decrease in gastric cancer rates by reducing reliance on salt preservation of meat and allowing for the increased storage and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Tobacco smoke is another known risk factor for gastric cancer.

“Gastric cancer is also associated with several rare inherited disorders, including Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, and Lynch Syndrome”.

On some of the symptoms, he said: “The symptoms are typically nonspecific, which often leads to a diagnosis at a more advanced stage of the disease.

“Common symptoms include pain in the upper abdomen (epigastric pain), feeling full after eating only a small amount of food (early satiety), and unintended weight loss.

“Individuals with a Helicobacter pylori infection should be treated; anyone experiencing epigastric pain or early satiety should undergo thorough investigations to ensure that early-stage disease is not missed,” he said.

Osoka enjoined Nigerians to consider modifying their lifestyle by reducing smoked meat intake and minimising exposure to tobacco smoke.

He cautioned people not to trivialise abdominal symptoms and to consult a specialist for evaluation.

Osoka explained further that gastric cancer was a biologically aggressive cancer.

He said the standard treatment for achieving a cure is the complete removal of the gastric tumor along with a wide margin of normal stomach tissue.

“This approach is effective for early-stage gastric disease.

“In cases where the tumors cannot be surgically removed, chemotherapy can help improve survival rates for patients,” he said.

He advised those who already had stomach cancer to consult a gastrointestinal surgeon for expert care as soon as possible.

According to him, most cancers can be cured if treatment begins before any metastasis occurs.

One effective approach to ensuring early detection he added is through the establishment of screening programmes.

“Gastric cancer is the most common cancer in Japan, and as a result, gastric cancer screening was initiated in that country in the 1970s.

“This initiative has led to a 50 per cent reduction in the mortality rate since its implementation.

“Similarly, cancer screening programmes in Nigeria could significantly decrease cancer mortality rates.

“The government should establish screening initiatives for various types of cancer, including gastric cancer, which appears to be increasing in Nigeria.

“It is disheartening to see that some Nigerian patients cannot afford treatment even when cancers are detected early.

“The existing chemotherapy programmes should be made more accessible to patients in need, radiotherapy machines should be available in all states, and the cost of radiotherapy treatment should be made affordable,” he said.

Osoka emphasised that ensuring a reliable supply of electricity would help Nigerians store food safely in refrigerators, reducing the need for preservation methods that increase the risk of gastric cancer.

Also, Dr Ugochi Ikeme, Senior Resident Doctor, General Surgery at UCH, said stomach cancer was more common in males and twice as common in blacks than whites.

Ikeme described it as mostly a disease of the elderly and called “the captain of the men of death”.

She remarked that ingested nitrites from preserved foods are converted to nitrosamines which increases the risk.

Also, “diets low in vegetables, vitamins A, C, smoking, alcohol increases the risk.

She emphasises that a patient should be well evaluated to confirm diagnosis, stage the disease, and to know patient’s fitness for treatment.

For the treatment, Ikeme, remarks that surgical resection is the only potentially curative treatment with the goal of resecting all the tumour.

However, most patients present in advanced stage, she added.

She called for adequate equipment of hospitals and training for primary health workers and medical officers to know that all epigastric pains may not be gastric ulcer, to make facilities available for proper evaluation of patients and for minimally invasive surgeries.

“Also, the importance of health education cannot be over emphasised, because healthy living is key.

“Health is wealth, we encourage people to be active, take works and create time to burn those calories and above all eat healthy.

“People should avoid alcohol, smoking; rubber and coal workers should wear protective gears; those with gastric ulcer should be properly diagnosed and treated adequately.

“We should also be involved in more research as most Nigerians may have some gene mutations that may predispose them to stomach cancer but they don’t know,” Ikeme said. (NAN)