MAHE 2006 Gastric Cancer

• A diet high in salt and nitrates and low in vitamins A and C increases the risk for stomach cancer.
  
• Other dietary risk factors include food preparation (e.g., preserving food by smoking, salt-curing, pickling, or drying) and environment (e.g., lack of refrigeration, poor drinking water).
  
• A diet high in raw fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits, and fiber may lower the risk for stomach cancer.

• Medical conditions that increase the risk for the disease include pernicious anemia (vitamin B-12 deficiency), chronic inflammation of the stomach (atrophic gastritis), and intestinal polyps (noncancerous growths).

• Genetic (hereditary) risk factors include hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) syndrome and Li-Fraumeni syndrome (conditions that result in a predisposition to cancer), and a family history of gastrointestinal cancer.
  
• People with type A blood also have an increased risk for stomach cancer.

• Cigarette smoking
• Infection with Heliobacter pylori bacteria (a bacteria related to stomach ulcers) or Epstein-Barr virus
• Obesity
• Occupational factors (e.g., working in rubber and coal industries)
• Personal history of gastrointestinal cancer, previous abdominal radiation, or stomach surgery

Category: MAHE 2006 MCQs