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Essay on Gastric Cancer and Gender, Age and Race

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For one, gastric cancer affects many people. In 2011, an estimated 74,035 people in the US had been inflicted with gastric cancer ("SEER Stat Fact," 2013). Additionally, this year, an estimated 22,220 additional people will receive the diagnosis of the stomach cancer ("Stomach (Gastric Cancer)," 2014). Though these numbers may not seem to indicate much of a problem in the United States when compared to prostate cancer's 233,000 estimated new cases and breast cancer's 232,670 estimated new cases, gastric cancer has a significant impact worldwide, being the cancer with the second highest mortality rate ("New Targeted Drug," 2014; "SEER Stat Fact," 2013). To illustrate, gender can make a significant …show more content…

("Stomach cancer," 2014). For one, family genetics can be a cause of stomach cancer, making a person's cells more predisposed to mutate. A person with a family history of gastric cancer is 2 - 3 times more likely to be afflicted with the cancer than a person with a clean family history. Risky habits can also cause an increased the chances of having gastric cancer. For example, a smoker is more prone to stomach cancer than a nonsmoker. ("Stomach cancer," 2012) Tobacco smoke, in particular, is apt to cause cancer due to the 69 carcinogenic chemicals within it ("Harms of Smoking," 2011). Another habit that raises a person's chance of having gastric cancer is frequent, excessive consumption of alcohol ("Stomach Cancer," 2012). Though alcohol in itself does not cause cancer, when the body metabolizes alcohol, the body produces acetaldehyde, a cancer-causing agent. In addition to risky habits, certain dietary choices lead to an increased risk of stomach cancer. For example, intaking "salty, smoked, or nitrate-preserved" foods may give rise to gastric cancer in some people ("Stomach Cancer," 2012). The salty foods are a risk factor because too much salt can damage the stomach's lining, making the stomach more vulnerable to malfunctions in its cells ("Recommendations for Cancer," n.d.). Smoked foods can cause stomach cancer because they produce heterocyclic amines and

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