Latest news with #stomachcancer
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctor issues warning over spicy food after influencer dies of stomach cancer
A doctor has issued a warning about eating too much spicy food after a young woman died of stomach cancer. Chinese content creator Qianqian, 25, died from the disease last month and listed her love of chili as a potential reason for developing the deadly cancer. Talking to local media on what may have triggered her diagnosis, she said: 'I don't like to eat breakfast for a long time. I eat irregularly. I like spicy food.' Qianqian's online title was 'I love crab pot,' referencing her love of a Chinese seafood hot pot dish containing large quantities of dried chilies and Sichuan pepper. Now, Taiwanese oncologist and haematologist Dr Li Sijin said it was possible the influencer's love of spicy food could have increased her cancer risk. She explained excessive consumption of chili peppers could aggravate the stimulation of the gastric mucosa-the innermost lining of the stomach. Dr Li, who works at Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, said this irritation could potentially trigger changes in the cells of the stomach which may develop into cancer. She advised that although chilies can form part of a balanced diet, they must be eaten in moderation. However, there is no conclusive evidence that eating spicy food increases the risk of stomach cancer, with studies exploring the topic delivering mixed results. Dr Li added that an irregular eating schedule wouldn't carry the same level of risk to the stomach. Qianqian previously explained that before her diagnosis in 2024 she had been suffering from stomach pains for more than six months. However, she dismissed these potential early warning signs as a consequence of her poor and inconsistent dietary habits. When her cancer was eventually uncovered medics performed a total gastrectomy, where the entire stomach is surgically removed in a bid to save her life. However, the disease was found to have returned just a month later, having spread to other tissues in her body. In her final days she shared a post with her followers: 'Still alive, lingering, vomiting all the time, the tumour in my stomach is getting bigger and bigger, the time I am awake is getting less and less. 'I don't want to pick up my phone, the hospital is very noisy and I'm in a bad mood.' While the evidence that spicy food can contribute to cancer risk is inconclusive some foods are known to increase the chances of developing the disease. Charity, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) cites evidence that people who eat high levels of pickled foods have between a 28 to 56 per cent higher chance of developing stomach cancer compared to those who eat the fewest. People with high salt intake in their diet are also at increased risk of stomach cancer with a 68 per cent higher chance of developing the disease, according to CRUK. While these increases risk sound dramatic the odds that a person will develop stomach cancer is quite low. CRUK estimates that one in every 92 men and one in 170 women in Britain will develop stomach cancer in their lifetime. And there is also some evidence that spicy food can in fact be good for your health. A 2024 study by the British Journal of Nutrition suggested that eating a spicy dish once a week reduced the risk of stroke by 13 percent. Additionally, in 2020, the American Heart Association found people who ate moderate quantities of chili were 26 percent less likely to die from heart disease than those who never eat them. Though it does not mention chili specifically the NHS warns that stomach cancers can be linked to lifestyle factors. The health service advises eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day and cut down on salt and alcohol to reduce the risk of the disease. About 6,500 patients in Britain and 30,000 in the US are diagnosed with stomach cancer each year. The disease kills about 4,000 Britons and 11,000 Americans per annum. If caught in its earliest stages, the majority of stomach cancer patients (65 per cent) will survive a decade after their diagnosis according to charity Cancer Research UK. However, for stage four patients, 10-year survival drops to just one in five. The main symptoms of stomach cancer include heartburn or acid reflux, physical problems swallowing, nausea, indigestion-like burping a lot-and feeling very full after eating. Anyone with these symptoms for three weeks or more, or who find they suddenly get worse, should contact their GP.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Cancer treatment turbocharges patients' own blood cells to kill solid tumours for first time
A LIVING cancer drug has been proven to work against solid tumours for the first time. Immune-boosting CAR-T therapy removes a patient's white blood cells and engineers them into highly specialised cancer killers in a lab. 1 They are then injected back into the patient and let loose against the disease. It is currently only used for blood cell cancers like leukaemia but research by Peking University in China has found it can also work against tumours that form as lumps. In a study of 266 people with stomach cancer, patients who received the treatment survived an average of 7.9 months compared to 5.5 months without it. It took 3.3 months for their cancer to worsen, compared to 1.8 months without. Study author Dr Changsong Qi said the results showed a 'significant increase in progression-free survival and clinically meaningful increase in overall survival'. More than 90 per cent of cancers are solid tumours that grow as a physical mass, including the big four of bowel, breast, lung and prostate. The findings raise the hope that tens or even hundreds of thousands more patients will one day benefit from the pioneering approach using their own immune systems instead of harsh drugs. 'Groundbreaking milestone' Dr Carl June, of the University of Pennsylvania, is credited with inventing the therapy and commented: 'This is a groundbreaking milestone for the field of CAR-T therapies against solid tumours.' CAR-T therapy, full name chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is an advanced type of immunotherapy that turbocharges the body's own defences to fight off cancer. It is intended to be more accurate and cause less collateral damage and side effects by only attacking cancerous cells and not healthy ones. Sun Health Explainer: What is cancer? Young Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery took part in a major clinical trial of it in 2017 before dying from neuroblastoma aged six. It is currently available on the NHS in England for certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma. More than 650 forms of the treatment are now in development for solid cancers. Dr John Haanen, from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, said: 'There is clearly now evidence that this treatment can benefit patients with solid cancers. It is an important development.' The study was published in The Lancet and presented at the conference of the American Society for Clinical Oncology. Dr Catherine Elliott, of Cancer Research UK, said: 'This is an encouraging early sign and further trials will now be needed.'
