Stomach cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the lining of the stomach. Also, known as Gastric cancer, it affects the elderly more than the adult. According to the American Cancer Society, about 6 of every 10 people diagnosed with stomach cancer each year are 65 or older. Also, the lifetime risk of developing stomach cancer is higher in men (about 1 in 101) than in women (about 1 in 155).

A health expert, speaking to a leading media house, emphasized five common symptoms of stomach cancer that should not be ignored:

1. Unexplained weight loss: Losing weight without trying or experiencing an unexplained drop in appetite, which may signal cancer progression.

2. Pain in the upper part of the abdomen: Persistent or occasional pain in the stomach area, often after eating, can become more severe as the condition progresses.

3. Frequent vomiting after meals: Nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, may occur especially after meals and is linked to cancer blocking or irritating the stomach.

4. Vomiting blood, which may appear coffee-colored: This can indicate bleeding in the stomach, often caused by ulcers or tumors, and requires immediate medical attention.

5. Black, tarry stools: This occurs when blood from the stomach is digested and passed through the intestines, signaling potential internal bleeding

There are also other concerning signs that should not be overlooked such as jaundice, unexplained weight loss, early onset of diabetes, dark stools, and loss of appetite. Health experts strongly advise seeking immediate medical attention if you notice any of these symptoms. If you or a loved one experience these signs, it's crucial to visit a physician for a thorough evaluation to rule out serious underlying health conditions.

How Does Stomach Cancer Spread?

Oncologist Dr Pankaj Kumar Pande, Director–Surgical Oncology, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi explained that this form of cancer spreads through three main pathways: Direct spread, lymphatic spread, and bloodstream.

1. Direct Spread: In its early stages, stomach cancer can invade nearby tissues and grow into the deeper layers of the stomach or spread to surrounding organs such as the oesophagus, liver, pancreas, or intestines.

2. Lymphatic Spread: Cancer cells can travel through the lymphatic system. The most common areas affected are the regional lymph nodes near the stomach, particularly those around the liver and diaphragm.

3. Bloodstream: "Cancer cells can enter the bloodstream and travel to distant parts of the body," which is a common route for stomach cancer to metastasize to distant organs.

He further explained that cancerous cells spread from the original tumour to other parts of the body through a process called Metastasis. The most common sites for the spread are the liver, lymph nodes, peritoneum, lungs, bones, and ovaries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new global plan, urging countries to improve their response to the growing risk of fungal diseases and antifungal resistance. The health and disease regulatory body warned that the issue has been left unaddressed since a long time despite its serious impact on public health.

WHO Shares Plan To Tackle Fungal Infections & Drug Resistance

According to the WHO, fungal diseases affect more than 300 million people worldwide every year. It also said that they are responsible for serious complications, prolonged hospitalisation, and high mortality, particularly among those with weakened immune systems.

Despite the risks, fungal infections continue to receive far less attention than bacterial or viral diseases. They are also missing from national health strategy planning, particularly in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) plans.

Why Antifungal Resistance Is A Global Concern?

Antifungal resistance happens when fungi grow, resisting medicines used to treat the infections. This makes it harder and sometimes impossible to cure infections.

The WHO said resistance to antifungal drugs is being fueled by:

• Uncontrolled use of antifungal medicines not only in human healthcare but also in agriculture and animal health.

• Excessive environmental exposure to antifungal chemicals continues to accelerate resistance.

• Health experts have repeatedly warned that resistant fungal infections could become a major public health challenge, as the number of people living with conditions that weaken the immune system, including cancer, HIV, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, continues to rise.

• Climate change is also believed to be altering the distribution of certain disease-causing fungi, increasing the risk of outbreaks in new regions.

Also read: The High Cost of Ignoring Fungi: The Hidden Burden of Invasive Fungal Infections

Dr Jean Pierre Nyemazi, Acting Director of WHO's Department of Antimicrobial Resistance said, “The Updated Global Action Plan on AMR approved by the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly recognized that antifungal resistance is an integral part of the AMR challenge and one we can no longer afford to overlook. This Blueprint gives countries a concrete path forward.”

What Does The WHO Blueprint Outline?

The blueprint to fight fungal infections has been developed with input from more than 150 experts across WHO regions, including specialists in infectious diseases, diagnostics, surveillance, public health and patient advocacy. It builds on the WHO's fungal priority pathogens list released in 2022, which identified the most dangerous fungal pathogens threatening human health.

The guidance outlines four priority areas for countries to strengthen their response. These include:

• Improving public awareness, infection prevention, and antifungal stewardship programmes.

• Expanding access to quality diagnostics and effective antifungal medicines while encouraging research and innovation.

• Strengthening laboratory networks, disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness

• Addressing environmental and agricultural factors contributing to antifungal resistance. Through a One Health approach that recognises the interconnected health of humans, animals and the environment.

The WHO has also identified 12 key areas to help governments prioritise investments and integrate fungal disease surveillance into existing healthcare systems.

WHO officials said fungal diseases continue to be neglected across national health policies despite their growing burden.

Hatim Sati, Technical Officer in WHO's Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, who led the blueprint's development, said, “Fungal disease and antifungal resistance remain an under-addressed priority across national health plans, AMR strategies, and surveillance systems. This Blueprint provides countries with a practical framework to strengthen their response.”

Cancer care has evolved significantly over the last few decades. Today, success is measured not only by survival rates but also by quality of life, emotional well-being, and the ability to return to a regular life after treatment. Yet, in our pursuit of patient-centered care, an essential component often remains invisible: caregivers.

Every cancer diagnosis affects more than just the patient. Behind every woman navigating treatment is often a spouse, parent, sibling, child, or friend who assumes the role of caregiver. They accompany patients to appointments, help manage treatment schedules, provide emotional reassurance, and often become the primary support system through one of life's most challenging experiences.

Why Caregivers Need Support

Despite their indispensable role, caregivers frequently receive little formal support themselves.

As oncologists, we witness this every day. We see caregivers putting their own health, careers, and emotional needs on hold to care for a loved one. While patients are understandably at the center of treatment, caregivers often carry an immense psychological and physical burden that goes unrecognized.

Through years of clinical practice, I have come to understand that caregivers are not merely bystanders in the cancer journey; they are active partners in healing. Yet, many families find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory with little guidance on what to expect, how to cope, or where to seek support.

The guide was conceived as a practical, step-by-step resource to help caregivers navigate different stages of the cancer journey from diagnosis and treatment to recovery and survivorship. More importantly, it acknowledges their resilience, fears, sacrifices, and emotional struggles, while equipping them with the information and support needed to care for both their loved ones and themselves.

Cancer Survivorship Is a Shared Journey

Cancer survivorship does not begin when treatment ends; it begins when patients and families start rebuilding their lives after cancer. Survivors may continue to face concerns around recurrence, fertility, body image, relationships, mental health, and long-term treatment effects. Caregivers, too, often carry lingering anxiety, exhaustion, and emotional trauma long after active treatment is over.

If we truly want to improve survivorship outcomes, caregiver support must become a standard component of oncology care rather than an afterthought.

This support can take many forms. It may include counselling services, support groups, educational resources, survivorship planning sessions, and opportunities for caregivers to openly discuss their own concerns. Equally important is creating healthcare environments where caregivers feel seen, heard, and included in care conversations.

Moving Towards Holistic Cancer Care

It is about time cancer care should move beyond a disease-centered approach towards a more holistic understanding of survivorship. While medical treatment remains central, there is growing recognition that recovery is also shaped by emotional well-being, family support systems, fertility concerns, body image, nutrition, rehabilitation, and quality of life after treatment.

This broader view of cancer care requires us to look beyond the patient alone. Caregivers are often the invisible backbone of the treatment journey, yet their needs frequently go unaddressed. As healthcare professionals, we must acknowledge that supporting caregivers is not separate from supporting patients. It is an integral part of comprehensive cancer care and long-term survivorship.

Caring Beyond Cure

As healthcare systems continue to advance, we must expand our understanding of what comprehensive cancer care looks like. A patient cannot thrive in isolation. When caregivers are empowered, informed, and emotionally supported, patient outcomes improve and survivorship becomes more sustainable for everyone involved.

Cancer survivorship is not an individual journey. It is a shared experience of resilience, hope, and recovery. By recognizing caregivers as integral members of the care team and providing them with the support they need, we move one step closer to a more humane and holistic model of oncology care, one that truly cares beyond cure.

(Dr. Jyoti Wadhwa, Principal Lead, Medical & Precision Oncology, Apollo Athenaa Women's Centre)

Longevity expert and millionaire Bryan Johnson has revealed that he has been diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a condition in which the immune system attacks the stomach lining.

In a post on X, Johnson, known for his radical experiments, including receiving blood transfusions from his teenage son, said he believes years of eating sugary cereals, drinking soda, consuming fast food and experiencing chronic stress contributed to the development of his autoimmune conditions.

Calling it a "bad news", the millionaire said: "I have an autoimmune disease. My stomach is eating itself". He added that "2–5% of people have this, too. Likely more, because it hides".

“As a kid, I ate sugar cereal, drank sugary soda, and gobbled down fast food. I had a few healthy years in my early 20s, but then became a young father of three and began building a business. Juggling that stress and grind, I let my health slip and gained 40 lbs,” he wrote.

He added that he later developed chronic depression and believes that during this period, his body began an autoimmune process affecting both his thyroid and stomach lining.

Also read: Donald Trump Posts AI Video of Himself Treating Critics for 'Derangement Syndrome'

Diagnosed With Hypothyroidism At 21

Johnson said he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at the age of 21 during a routine blood test. He has since managed the condition with levothyroxine and Armour Thyroid.

“They are the hormones my body should be producing on its own, but wasn’t. By taking these pills daily, my body was able to operate as though my thyroid was functioning properly.”

He said his stomach had also begun attacking itself, but the condition went undetected because he had no symptoms. It was only discovered in May.

Johnson noted that autoimmune gastritis can cause irreversible damage, including nutritional deficiencies, anemia, and an increased long-term risk of stomach cancer.

Early Signs

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Johnson said he had persistently low ferritin levels for the past 11 years despite not having anemia.

“We continually tried to raise my iron levels with food and supplementation, but nothing would work.”

He said he followed a plant-based diet, trained intensely, used a sauna and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and took iron supplements, but his iron levels remained low.

A colonoscopy ruled out slow gastrointestinal bleeding, while an upper endoscopy with five stomach biopsies revealed early autoimmune gastritis. The biopsies showed early atrophy confined to the stomach's acid-producing lining, while

the rest of the stomach remained unaffected.

“So this was never one problem. It was three, linked to one another: the iron deficiency, the autoimmune gastritis driving it, and the autoimmune thyroid disease alongside it.”

Bryan Johnson's Treatment Plan

Johnson said he has undergone a large blood draw to sequence more than one million individual immune cells.

According to him, the goal is to identify the specific immune cell clones attacking his stomach lining. He compared immune cells to soldiers carrying unique "keys," explaining that the advanced sequencing technology can identify the rogue immune cells responsible for autoimmune gastritis.

Johnson said that once those immune cells are identified, the findings will help determine the most appropriate therapy to target and suppress the autoimmune attack.

What Is Autoimmune Gastritis?

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a long-term autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the stomach's parietal cells, which produce stomach acid, as well as intrinsic factor, a protein essential for absorbing vitamin B12. Over time, this damages the stomach lining and reduces the body's ability to absorb iron and vitamin B12, increasing the risk of nutrient deficiencies.

In many people, symptoms are caused more by these nutritional deficiencies than by inflammation of the stomach itself.

Common symptoms include:

• Ongoing fatigue and weakness
• Low iron levels or iron-deficiency anemia
• Vitamin B12 deficiency, which may lead to numbness, tingling, balance problems or memory difficulties
• Pale skin and shortness of breath
• Reduced appetite, bloating, nausea or discomfort in the upper abdomen
• Mouth ulcers.