What is Cancers of the stomach and the duodenum?

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One distinguishes 2 types of cancers of the stomach:

* The cancers developed from the cells épithéliales (layer of cells forming the mucous membrane of the stomach, to the direct contact of the food bowl). They represent 85 to 95% of the cancers of the stomach;

* The sarcomas mésenchymateux (cancers developed from the cells forming the partition of the stomach). They represent 5 to 15% of the cancers of the stomach.

..Reasons and factors of risk

The cancer of the stomach entails the death of 10 000 people in France every year.

He especially touches the men of more than 70 years.

Its geographical distribution permits to distinguish some countries to high risk (Japan, Chile, Finland, Austria) and of the countries at middle risk (France, Britain).

..The factors of risk of this cancer are multiple:

* The precancerous states (gastritis atrophique by inflammation of the stomach);

* The food (the important consumption of fish smoked in Japan partially explains the frequency important of this cancer in this country);

* The alcohol and tobacco have not been incriminated in the genesis of the cancer of the stomach.

.. The signs of the illness

The signs evoking the cancer of the stomach are very numerous and varied.

The symptoms can be:

* Loss of the appetite;

* Thinning;

* digestive Unrests with vomitings;

* Disgust of meat and tobacco;

    * Pain.

All these signs are not specific of the illness.

   ..The consultation

To a stage advanced of the illness, the physician recovers to the palpation of the abdomen an epigastric tumor (in look of the stomach); of ganglia to the over of the collarbone or to the arm pit are possible.

   .. Exams and complementary analyses

    * The gastro-duodenal fibroscopie is the exam of choice for the diagnosis. The introduction of a fibroscope permits to visualize to best the whole stomach and to achieve withdrawals of lesions suspects (banks of an ulcerated lesion). These withdrawals are sent to the laboratory of anatomo-pathology and will be the subject of an analysis permitting the diagnosis;

* The x-ray of the stomach and the duodenum has been used a long time to support the diagnosis of cancer of the stomach. She permitted to put in evidence of the reminiscent pictures of cancer under a budding, ulcerated or infiltrating shape. However, these pictures only appear after a long evolution of the illness explaining the disappearance of the prescription of this exam.