By Shelby Wilson
In present day, cancer is one of the leading causes of death around the world and in the United States. Of these cancers, gastric cancers are the leading cause of cancer related deaths. Gastric cancer specifically is caused by
By Shelby Wilson
In present day, cancer is one of the leading causes of death around the world and in the United States. Of these cancers, gastric cancers are the leading cause of cancer related deaths. Gastric cancer specifically is caused by the cells of the stomach lining growing uncontrollably, causing tumor growth. Cancer treatment and research is a common discussion topic among present-day medical professionals. Cancers of all types are treated with surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. While there is no certain cure for cancer, research is ongoing. Anyone diagnosed with any type of cancer usually has an option for treatment; however, none of these options are 100% guaranteed to work. While patients today have options to choose from when managing their disease, patients in the past had no such option.
RESEARCH INTO GASTRIC CANCER
According to Dr. Robert Martensen, cancer-related deaths and diagnosis in the United States and Europe have been steadily increasing since the 1800s. Dr. Martensen explains that this is because gastric cancers are more common among well-nourished and richer people. Many believe gastric cancer is a diet-related disease and this explains why more established nations suffer from the illness more than third world nations. As mentioned previously, many did not feel patients being treated for gastric cancer had much chance of survival. Dr. Martensen states that the focus of professionals who treated gastric cancer was originally on prescribing medication; however, as the years went on the focus shifted to surgical remedies. Surgeries were very dangerous at first; however, with education and time surgical resection became the most promising method for increased survival rate in gastric cancer patients. Different types of surgical resection include limited operations, endoscopic mucosal resection and the standard radical operation. These operations vary in the amount of tissue removed during the procedure. All of these practices have improved the survival rate of patients with gastric cancer; however, this disease is still the cause of numerous fatalities across the world.
GASTRIC CANCER IN LONDON
Gastric cancers were reported in the boroughs of London as early as 1924. During this era, cancer treatment and diagnosis was very similar to that of the modern period. A Medical Officer of Health in the Fulham region of London named Hewat Middleton recorded commonly reported symptoms of gastric cancer in a medical journal. According to his report, a sudden onset of pain, mucous or blood in the stool and bloody discharge that varies from normal are all symptoms of gastric cancers. Hewat explains that after surgically removing cancerous tissue, he believes there is a great chance the cancer will return; however, he believes life will be more comfortable for them than it was before.
Gastric cancer can be fatal and excruciatingly painful if left untreated. A study was done London in 1993 to determine if the way and time in which one is treated for gastric cancer affects the survival rate of patients. According to the 