| Theme | Diseases of alimentary tract in maintenance dialysis patients -- tendency and management from a view point of symptomatology | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Screening for digestive tract cancer in dialysis patients | |
| Publish Date | 2013/02 | |
| Author | Kentaro Tanaka | Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University Omori Medical Center |
| Author | Ken Sakai | Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University Omori Medical Center |
| [ Summary ] | Malignancy is the fourth leading cause of death in Japanese chronic dialysis patients. Those patients' lives could be saved if cancer were detected in the early stages. Screening of dialysis patients for digestive cancer appears to be a worthwhile course of action. Digestive tract cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent, especially, colon, liver, and stomach cancer. Screening for gastrointestinal cancer, hemoccult stool tests, abdominal ultrasound examinations, CT scans and fiberscopic inspections are fundamental tools for early detection. Published guidelines for the treatment of HCV infection in Japanese dialysis patients are useful for treatment of HCV related liver cancer. Many tumor markers yield false-positive results in dialysis patients and should be used carefully. As dialysis patients age, increasingly higher cancer rates are observed. These factors force dialysis practitioners to confront their patients' mortality and quality of life. |
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