Gastrectomy as a way to prevent stomach cancer
Two sisters with a rare hereditary disease, after much thought, decided to have an operation to remove the stomach to reduce the risk of cancer, the portal "Health of Ukraine" reports. Experts are confident that the sisters will be able to live a normal life without a stomach and without constant fear for their health and for their lives.
Mita and Ravindra Singh were born with a mutation of the E-cadherin gene, which occurs in only 100 families in the world. The mutation carries an increased risk (80% chance) of developing cancer. This gene has already claimed the lives of the girls' father, two uncles, a grandmother and a 20-year-old cousin. Ravindra, 29, chose gastric removal surgery as a preventive measure in June this year after she was found to have a deadly gene. As a result of the tests, it turned out that the girl already had an early stage of cancer. "I am very glad, because the operation was the right decision. I was going to have surgery even before I found out I had cancer. I was constantly worried about this and just wanted to leave this problem behind forever," she said. To date, the girl's cancer has not been detected anymore.
This week, 25-year-old Mitya, a graduate student at the Department of Forensic Psychology, underwent the same operation. After the operation, the sisters can eat no more than 10 spoons of food, but they believe that they will now be able to live a normal life. "It was definitely worth it, because you can't stand behind the price when it comes to your life," Mita is sure.
The doctors said that about a year after the operation, a small "chamber" will form in place of the girls' stomach, and they will be able to eat more. Simon Dexter, a specialist from Leeds who performed Mitya's operation, said: "There are a small number of families with this gene in the world, but it can cause very bad types of cancer. It is very rare and dangerous. Fortunately, now we have the opportunity to detect it, and it was with the help of this test that we discovered the gene of both Mitya and Ravindra. This allowed them to think about everything carefully and decide on a gastrectomy." The stomach is only a more voluminous part of the intestine, he adds. When the stomach is removed, the small intestine is connected to the esophagus. "You can do fine without a stomach, and the sisters will live a normal life," Dr. Dexter is sure.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru11.12.2009