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Follow on Google News | Stomach Cancer: More Malaysians At Risk“Unhealthy eating habits and a hectic lifestyle major contributing factors”
By: iNTELECTASIA “Those who are affected would firstly experience infection in the upper gastrointestinal tract (oesophageal and stomach) but often they seek medical treatment too late. Most of them only seek treatment when the stomach cancer has advanced to Stage III or IV,” said Dr. Ramesh. Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer is one of the ten most common cancers in Malaysia. About 1400 Malaysians develop cancer of this type each year. Stomach cancer can occur in adults of any age. However, it is rare under the age of 50 and is more common among men than among women. Dr. Ramesh added that an unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking, high alcohol consumption and low intake of fruits and vegetables increases the chances of developing stomach cancer. He added that due to the current hectic lifestyle, irregular food intake plus frequent consumption of pickled and preserved foods are the known ‘culprits’ Dr. Ramesh reiterated that early detection is the key to improving survival in gastric cancer patients and there is an urgent need for clinicians to change their approach to the management of the disease. “The symptoms for stomach cancer and a normal gastric pain are very similar. This is the reason why so many fail to seek treatment early. Patients with dyspeptic symptoms should be investigated early rather than treating the pain as a classical symptom of gastritis.” According to Dr. Ramesh, the incidences of Helicobacter Pylori infection, a known risk factor for stomach cancer, is the high among Chinese. “Nonetheless, incidences of stomach cancer among Malays remain low. There will be an in-depth deliberation on whether the lifestyle and food intake of the Malays are contributing factors to the low incidence.” Dr. Ramesh said this at the sidelines of the 3rd Asia Pacific Gastroesophageal Cancer Congress which is currently being held at the Swan Convention Centre, Sunway Medical Centre until 12 November 2010. The conference saw the gathering of 250 renowned local and international General Surgeons specialising in Upper Gastrointestinal from all over the world including Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore. According to Dr. Ramesh, who is also a Consultant General and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon, the conference is about looking into current tools and experience in detecting early gastrointestinal tract infection and latest treatment and surgical management of stomach cancer. “There will be a live surgery on D2 Gastrectomy and Upper GI nutrition for allied health conducted by distinguished speakers who are from varied backgrounds.” Professor Takeshi Sano from National Cancer Centre Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, Mr. Henry Sue-Ling from Leeds General Infirmary, United Kingdom, Professor Dr. Chin Kin Fah from Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya are some of the speakers. The conference is organized by Malaysian Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Club in collaboration with College of Surgeons under the Academy of Medicine Malaysia. For more details about this conference, visit www.apgcc.com About Asia Pacific Gastroesophageal Cancer Congress Asia Pacific Gastroesophageal Cancer Congress (APGCC) is an event initiated by the Malaysian Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Club in collaboration with the College of Surgeons to promote Upper GI Surgery in Malaysia. The event takes place every two years once. The first APGCC was held in Singapore in 2006 and the second was in Hong Kong in 2008. Media Contact for Asia Pacific Gastroesophageal Cancer Congress: Ms Manminder Dhillon (Public Relations Consultant) +6012 652 3868 manminder@intelectasia.com End
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