Stomach cancer in young people – a diagnostic and therapeutic problem

INTRODUCTION: According to statistics, gastric cancer remains one of the most common causes of death due to neoplastic disease in the world’s population. It is a common conception that this type of cancer mostly affects people in their fifth or sixth decade of life. So, when it comes to young people, for example in their twenties or early thirties, who present to a doctor with symptoms suggesting a cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, these are quite often ignored because of their young age. AIM: In this study we at The Second Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery of the Medical University of Białystok, Poland decided to enlighten the problem of stomach cancer in people under 40 years old as a cause of death and complications most likely because of an incorrect diagnosis at the beginning of therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Major analysis involved 350 cases of gastrointestinal tumours treated surgically, of which 14 cases (7 men and 7 women) were patients aged 18–39 years diagnosed with different stages of gastric cancer. RESULTS: Statistical analysis has shown that gastric cancer in women occurred much earlier than in men, and the average survival time was 16 months after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the false suggestion that gastric cancer affects mostly older people, there is a risk of ignoring the symptoms in young people and finding advanced neoplastic lesions at the time of diagnosis, which has a negative effect on long-term treatment results.