6 Truths About Stomach Cancer

In a country that enjoys food so much it’s almost a national pastime, this cancer surprisingly flies under the radar.

- Adelina Tan

“Eh, what to eat today?” is a common and affectionate greeting here, where food is delicious and plentiful. With affordable options around every corner – be it a road-side warung or neighbourhood kopitiam – we often take for granted the simple pleasures of eating and the work our stomach does.

In Peninsular Malaysia, statistics show that stomach cancer – or gastric cancer as it’s also known – is the eight and tenth most common cancer in males and females, respectively. More alarmingly, the number of people diagnosed with this cancer is increasing. More than half of stomach cancer patients here are Chinese, followed by Malays and Indians. This has been attributed to the traditional Chinese diet, as stomach cancer is very common in Japan, South Korea and China – countries that share similarities in cuisine.

“Many factors combine to cause stomach cancer, but it often starts with some inflammation of the mucosa, which is the inner lining of the stomach,” says Dr Ang Soo Fan, a visiting consultant medical oncologist at Penang Adventist Hospital. Over time, if the inflammation becomes chronic, structural and DNA changes may happen to the mucosa. Inflammation is often caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a kind of bacteria that’s been classified by the World Health Organization as a class 1 carcinogen. It lives along the mucosa and when untreated, is the leading cause of stomach cancer. Here are other things you must know about stomach cancer.