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.

For 57-year-old Brenda Young, her mother’s death last year caused an ‘intense, overwhelming pain in the middle of the chest’, so severe that she required hospital admission.

While her symptoms felt like a heart attack, the Scottish woman was diagnosed with ‘broken heart syndrome’.

Also called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, it is a sudden condition estimated to affect at least 5000 people in the UK each year.

Now she is part of a groundbreaking trial by a team of scientists in the UK to gauge a medication for the long-term management of the condition.

What Is Broken Heart Syndrome?

As the name suggests, the fatal condition is triggered by sudden emotional stress, such as the loss of a loved one. While it is often mistaken for a heart attack, it mimics a heart attack, causing sudden chest pain, breathlessness, and weakened heart muscles.

However, unlike heart attacks, it is not caused by a blockage in the heart arteries but instead, a severe weakening of the heart muscle.

There is currently no proven treatment for takotsubo, which means treatments can vary from person to person. We know that following an attack, the impact on the patient’s quality of life can be extremely debilitating.

Broken Heart Syndrome: 7-Year Study To Test Drug

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The seven-year-long study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), will involve scientists and clinicians from Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Belfast, and almost 1,000 takotsubo patients from 40 hospitals across the country.

“Takotsubo syndrome affects thousands of people in the UK year on year – most of whom are women. The figures are stark in that one in ten will ultimately die from their condition. It is a growing problem, and with ever-improving clinical recognition, the diagnosis rate has increased 5-fold in the past decade,” said Dana Dawson, Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Aberdeen, who is leading the trial.

The long-term risk of death or serious health problems after a takotsubo attack is similar to that of patients who have had a heart attack. In those who survive the first attack, patients live with a higher risk of death, heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure, as well as a higher risk of repeated takotsubo attacks.

What Is The Trial Drug?

It has been suggested that a class of medicines that relax blood vessels, called 'renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors', could be an effective course of treatment in the longer term for takotsubo patients.

Currently used to treat heart attacks due to heart artery blockage, high blood pressure, or heart failure, this study will scientifically test the effectiveness of RAS inhibitors in takotsubo to establish if this could be a treatment pathway specific to the condition.

“We will test, for the first time, if RAS inhibitors could prevent deaths, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and repeated takotsubo attacks in people who have suffered an acute takotsubo attack,” Professor Dana said.

“We hope that this will make it clear whether or not these drugs are effective at preventing repeated health problems in the long-term,” the expert said.

With the trial, the researchers aim to find the first therapy that improves survival and reduces the burden of disease after a takotsubo attack, or it may help redirect the search to other treatments that may work.

Childhood myopia is emerging as a major public health concern in India, and is beyond the need for spectacles, said health experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Myopia or nearsightedness is a common vision condition where close-up objects appear clear, but distant objects look blurry.

Recent estimates suggest that by 2050, nearly half of the global population may be affected by myopia. In India, prevalence rates among school-going children have risen sharply over the years, with urban studies indicating nearly 14 per cent prevalence, while rural regions have witnessed a rise from 4.6 per cent to 6.8 per cent over the past decade.

“Childhood myopia is no longer just about children needing spectacles earlier in life; it is increasingly becoming a serious long-term eye health concern," said Dr Jeewan Singh Titiyal, President of All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rajkot (AIIMS Rajkot).

High myopia can:

• permanently alter the structure of the eye,
• significantly increase the risk of retinal detachment,
• lead to glaucoma,
• cause cataract,
• lead to irreversible vision loss later in life.

“Combating childhood myopia requires a collective effort involving families, schools, healthcare systems, and policymakers. School environments must encourage outdoor exposure and healthier visual habits, while parents need to monitor screen dependency and ensure balanced lifestyles,” said Dr Rohit Saxena, Senior Pediatric Ophthalmologist, RP Singh AIIMS, New Delhi.

New Myopia Prevention Guidelines

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In response to the alarming rise in childhood myopia across India and globally, the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) has released a comprehensive Consensus Guideline on “Prevention and Management of Childhood Myopia” as part of World Myopia Week 2026, held from May 18 to 24.

Dr Rohit, who is also the Program Director – Myopia Guideline, urged ensuring that adequate sleep, nutrition, and physical activity are not compromised.

“Early diagnosis and timely management can significantly improve outcomes and help protect children from avoidable visual impairment and future sight-threatening complications,” he said.

Dr Jeewan, also the President of AIOS, added that, unfortunately, many children fail to report blurred vision because they do not realize what normal sight should feel like.

The experts attribute the surge in childhood myopia to lifestyle changes accelerated over recent years, including prolonged screen exposure, increasing academic pressure, reduced outdoor activity, and extended periods of near work.

The transition toward digital learning environments has further contributed to children spending 4–6 hours or more daily on screens, often with inadequate visual hygiene practices.

The AIOS Guidelines And The 20-20-20 Rule

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The new recommendations reinforce the importance of the widely advocated 20-20-20 rule, encouraging children to take a 20-second break every 20 minutes and focus on an object 20 feet away to reduce eye strain.

The newly released AIOS guidelines also strongly emphasize preventive strategies, including:

• annual eye examinations,
• school vision screenings,
• limiting recreational screen time,
• maintaining appropriate reading distance,
• ensuring adequate lighting during study,
• encouraging children to spend at least two hours outdoors daily.

“The prevention and management of childhood myopia require a shift from reactive treatment to proactive prevention. Environmental factors such as prolonged near work, excessive digital exposure, and reduced outdoor time are modifiable risks that demand immediate societal attention," said Dr Namrata Sharma, Professor of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.

The guidelines also provide insights into currently available myopia control interventions, including:

• atropine eye drops,
• specialized myopia control spectacles,
• orthokeratology,
• soft multifocal contact lenses.

Amid the scare of hantavirus led by a rare strain that causes human-to-human transmission, the UK government has received supplies of the antiviral drug Favipiravir from Japan to tackle the risk of the rat-borne disease in the country.

The antiviral favipiravir, from the Japanese company Fujifilm, that gained fame during the COVID-19 pandemic, is being considered as an experimental option to treat the deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise liner. To date, the medication has been tested as an emergency treatment for new or re-emerging flu.

The UK Health Security Agency said that “the supplies of favipiravir would bolster treatment stocks, even though the risk of wider transmission in the UK remained very low”.

The hantavirus outbreak that began on MV Hondius has so far caused three deaths and 11 cases.

There is no specific therapy for hantavirus, which is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases and after prolonged, close contact. Treatment usually focuses on supportive care such as rest and fluids, while some patients may need breathing support.

Favipiravir’s Role In Viral Treatment

In Japan, favipiravir is sold under the brand name Avigan by a unit of Fujifilm as an emergency medication for novel or re-emerging flu.

The drug works by blocking a key enzyme that many viruses need to multiply.

Use of favipiravir in hantavirus would generally be considered experimental or compassionate rather than standard care, and most likely to treat severe infection early on, said Piet Maes, a virologist at the University of Brussels, Reuters News Agency reported.

Maes said evidence so far comes only from lab and animal studies, with no strong human trial data showing the drug works against hantavirus. There is no internationally established clinical protocol recommending its routine use for hantavirus.

What Is Favipiravir?

Favipiravir is a broad-spectrum antiviral medication, most notably produced and marketed in India by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals under the brand name FabiFlu.

First approved in Japan for severe influenza, it became widely recognized for emergency use in the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 to help rapidly reduce viral load.

How Effective Has Favipiravir Been?

Favipiravir has remained controversial due to several side effects reported during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, in a rare complication from treatment with the COVID-19 antiviral, the eyes of a six-month-old baby boy from Thailand turned an unusual shade of blue.

According to researchers from Chulabhorn Royal Academy in Bangkok, the boy, who suffered fever and cough lasting one day, was diagnosed with COVID infection.

In a prior investigation, a higher frequency of uric acid elevation in younger patients treated with favipiravir was observed, which could be linked to decreased urine output.

In addition, favipiravir has also been shown to cause fluorescence in human hair and nails. This adverse effect may be due to the drug, its metabolites, or additional tablet components such as titanium dioxide and yellow ferric oxide.