Stomach cancer is an interesting case: born mostly of a strain of bacteria known as Heliobacter pylori, which causes the stomach to eat itself from the inside out. Not surprisingly, cultures with more pickled food end up with more stomach cancer, due to the long-form nature of these foods (and the thin line between well-pickled and rancid). Rarely does cancer occur from an infection like this, but when it does, it often ends up being deadly. It is a disease almost exclusively for the elderly (the highest diagnosis concentration is found in those over 70) and comes with a 5-year survival rate of about 9%. What makes it so deadly? By the nature of it being borne in the innermost lining of the stomach, it becomes very difficult to detect – and by the time the symptoms (such as bloating, blood in the stool, anemia, and ulcers) come to light, the cancer is already near stage 3 or 4. Testing for the disease is a long, complicated process that rarely ends up with a successful diagnosis (1 in every 50 people who have an endoscopy for indigestion actually have cancer). This is also compounded by the difficulty of the most common exam for stomach cancer: the gastroscopic exam, which entails a doctor inserting a fiber-optic camera into the stomach to look around – not an easy procedure. Curing the disease is a job only surgery can do – chemotherapy has not entered the mainstream as a viable alternative. Thus, we must look to new alternatives and engage in more research. The best way to do that from the sidelines? Support the cause! Buy a stylish cornflower blue wristband and show your support today!
Source: Sonoma Raceway
Written by Michele Wheat