Stomach Health in Orange County
City of Hope is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center delivering lifesaving treatments and conducting pioneering research. We want to raise awareness about disease prevention and early detection, with the goal of making Orange County cancer-free. This landing page is designed to answer questions about gastric cancer, an illness not commonly discussed but impacting many members of our community. We’re offering individuals and organizations the opportunity to participate in upcoming risk assessment efforts to increase public awareness and achieve better outcomes for diagnosis, treatment, and survival.
In the U.S., stomach cancer is considered rare yet 27,000+ people are diagnosed annually and more than 11,000 people die each year. Click the link and share your knowledge with us.
Know Your Risk
Unfortunately, stomach cancer disproportionately impacts Asian and Hispanic populations, especially the Korean, Vietnamese, South American, and Mexican populations. That makes California –and Orange County –a "hotspot" for this disease. Many people who are diagnosed with stomach cancer find out when the disease is in its later stages and more difficult to treat. This is because you can be asymptomatic (not experiencing symptoms) for a long time. That is why it is so important to pay attention to risk factors and stay informed.
Having a risk factor means that you are more likely to get stomach cancer. It is no guarantee of stomach cancer development, but it does make sense to stay alert. Known risk factors for stomach cancer include:
- Demographics: Men, older individuals, and certain ethnic groups, including Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), have a higher risk.
- Geography: Stomach cancer is more common in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and South and Central America but less common in Africa and North America.
- Helicobacter pylori infection: Long-term infection with this bacterium can lead to stomach cancer, especially in the lower part of the stomach.
- Weight: Being overweight or obese increases the risk, particularly for cancers of the upper stomach.
- Diet: High consumption of salted, pickled, processed, grilled, or charcoaled foods raises the risk, while a diet rich in fresh fruits and raw vegetables reduces it.
- Alcohol and tobacco use: Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking are linked to higher stomach cancer risk.
- Previous stomach surgery: People who've had part of their stomach removed, especially for non-cancerous conditions like ulcers, are at greater risk.
- Stomach polyps: Some adenomatous polyps can develop into cancer.
- Pernicious anemia: Individuals with this condition have an increased stomach cancer risk.
- Menetrier disease (hypertrophic gastropathy): With this condition, excess growth of the stomach's inner lining causes large folds in the lining and leads to low levels of stomach acid.
Because this disease is very rare, it is not known precisely how much it increases the risk of stomach cancer. - Inherited cancer syndromes: Rare hereditary syndromes like HDGC, Lynch syndrome, Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), Gastric adenoma and proximal polyposis of the stomach (GAPPS), Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), and Common variable immune deficiency (CVID) can elevate a person's risk.
- Family history: Those with first-degree relatives who had stomach cancer are at higher risk.
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection: This illness is linked to some cases, but its role is not fully understood.
- Certain occupations: Coal, metal, and rubber industry workers face a higher risk.
- Blood type A: People with type A blood may have a higher risk, although the reason is unknown.
Korean men living in California experience stomach cancer at a rate five times higher than the overall U.S. population, and Korean women and Chinese men in California are more than twice as likely to receive a diagnosis than others in the U.S.
Other factors that put people at risk are a family history of the disease, smoking, lower socioeconomic status, and diets high in salt, preservatives, and nitrites and low in fresh fruits.
Stomach cancer disproportionately affects Asian Americans.
Learn why, and how to reduce your risk.
Signs and Symptoms
Early-stage stomach cancer is often difficult to detect because most people do not feel symptoms until the cancer has reached a later stage. When the illness does cause signs and symptoms, they can include:
- Reduced appetite
- Unintentional weight loss
- Abdominal (belly) pain
- Vague discomfort in the abdomen, usually above the navel
- Feeling full, even after consuming a small meal
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Nausea
- Vomiting, with or without the presence of blood
- Abdominal swelling or fluid retention
- Blood in the stool
- Fatigue or weakness, often due to anemia resulting from a low red blood cell count
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) if the cancer spreads to the liver
It is important to note that many of these symptoms can be attributed to conditions other than stomach cancer, such as viral infections or ulcers. Also, these are symptoms that could be a sign of other types of cancer. However, if you experience any of these issues, especially if the symptoms persist, talk to your physician.
Steps for Prevention
- Monitoring Your Weight and Physical Activity: Maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active can reduce the risk of stomach cancer. These lifestyle choices also lower the risk of other cancers and health issues.
- Dietary Choices: A diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, can likely decrease stomach cancer risk. The American Cancer Society also recommends avoiding or limiting red and processed meats and sugar-filled beverages.
- Alcohol Use: Limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption can help lower stomach cancer risk.
- Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of upper stomach cancers, as well as many other types of cancer. If you smoke, consider quitting for overall health benefits.
- Treating Helicobacter pylori infection: While research is ongoing, antibiotics may benefit individuals with H pylori infection, especially those at higher risk due to family history.
- Aspirin Use: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin, may reduce stomach cancer risk, but there are potential side effects.
- Genetic Testing: If you have a rare condition, such as Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC), you may consider genetic testing.
- Get Tested: People with an elevated risk of stomach cancer or who are experiencing signs and symptoms should talk to their doctor and consider getting tested, most commonly with an endoscopic procedure. The earlier we can detect disease presence, the better your chance for a positive outcome.
While we know that Hispanic American, African American, Native Americans, and the AAPI communities are at higher risk, the presence of a first-degree relative with gastric cancer can significantly heighten your chances of the disease. Talking with your loved ones about the incidence of certain cancers in your family - including gastric cancer –could be a lifesaving conversation.
Meet Our Gastric Cancer Team
Orange County has access to the City of Hope gastric cancer program, one of only a few high-volume centers in the country and a well-regarded institution for clinical research. The multidisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, immunologists, and bioinformaticians is renowned for translating novel targeted agents, such as oncolytic viruses, into effective diagnostic tools and therapies. Other features of the program include the latest in laparoscopic and robotic surgery, advanced endoscopic procedures, genetic testing, and customized drug therapy tailored to the molecular profile of specific stomach cancer types. And every gastric cancer patient receives a personalized treatment plan.
Yanghee Woo, M.D., is the internationally recognized surgeon-scientist heading our gastric cancer program. She is widely recognized for her groundbreaking research, expertise in robotic and other surgery procedures, passion for patient education, and compassionate care.
Join Us in Prevention and Early Detection Efforts
We welcome Orange County residents and community leaders to participate in upcoming risk assessment efforts to increase awareness and achieve better outcomes. Please stay in touch with us to learn more about your stomach health or to host a stomach health event in your community.
Stomach Cancer News
Contact Us
You can protect yourself from stomach cancer by staying in contact with City of Hope Orange County. If you have questions reach
out to Dr. Woo, the principal investigator of the “Our Stomach Health- Stomach Cancer Risk Assessment Study”.
City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, Surgery Clinic
2000 FivePoint, Irvine, CA 92618