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ou may want to do as the Koreans do: Schedule a stomach cancer test. According to a recent study published in Cancer, you should have an endoscopy—the screening for gastric cancer—every three year s. If you’re born and raised American, you’ve probably never heard of an endoscopy. “Korea and the U.S. are 180 degrees apart when it comes to gastric cancer,” says Stephen J. Meltzer, M.D., a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine & Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.
Why? Simple: The cancer is way more common in Korea than it is over here due to dietary differences, Helicobacter (a bacteria found in the stomach) infection rates, and environmental factors, says Dr. Meltzer. In the U.S. when you turn 50, you go in for a colonoscopy. In Korea, you sign up for an endoscopy.
While Dr. Meltzer estimates about 135,000 cases of colon cancer in the States every year, there are only about 21,000 cases of gastric cancer. The problem: “Most people who get gastric cancer here die from it,” he says. “But people in Korea have higher cure rates because they are screened for it.”
So is the procedure for you? If you’re at high risk, yes. Having trouble swallowing, getting food stuck in your throat when you swallow, feeling full very quickly after eating, iron-loss anemia, and severe weight loss for no apparent reason are all risk factors for stomach cancer.
Another danger sign? Suffering from heartburn for many years, especially if it’s severe, Dr. Meltzer says. Heartburn could be a sign of Barrett’s esophagus, which is the major risk condition for esophageal cancer. If you’re over 40, ask your doc about the procedure—it could be the most important 15 minutes of your day.
Why? Simple: The cancer is way more common in Korea than it is over here due to dietary differences, Helicobacter (a bacteria found in the stomach) infection rates, and environmental factors, says Dr. Meltzer. In the U.S. when you turn 50, you go in for a colonoscopy. In Korea, you sign up for an endoscopy.
While Dr. Meltzer estimates about 135,000 cases of colon cancer in the States every year, there are only about 21,000 cases of gastric cancer. The problem: “Most people who get gastric cancer here die from it,” he says. “But people in Korea have higher cure rates because they are screened for it.”
So is the procedure for you? If you’re at high risk, yes. Having trouble swallowing, getting food stuck in your throat when you swallow, feeling full very quickly after eating, iron-loss anemia, and severe weight loss for no apparent reason are all risk factors for stomach cancer.
Another danger sign? Suffering from heartburn for many years, especially if it’s severe, Dr. Meltzer says. Heartburn could be a sign of Barrett’s esophagus, which is the major risk condition for esophageal cancer. If you’re over 40, ask your doc about the procedure—it could be the most important 15 minutes of your day.