Stomach or Gastric Cancer: Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms of Stomach or Gastric Cancer
When stomach cancer is in its earliest stages, gastric cancer symptoms may not appear. However, you can have discomfort in your upper abdomen when they occur. Sometimes, symptoms don’t appear until cancer has progressed. Tiredness, unintended weight loss , nausea, vomiting blood, and black stools are all possible signs of stomach cancer in its latter stages.
Metastatic stomach cancer is a disease that has spread to other organs. It manifests itself in ways characteristic of its new host environment. Lymph node metastasis, for instance, might result in palpable lumps under the skin. Yellow discoloration of skin or eyes may be visible, if the cancer has gone to the liver. The fluid accumulation in the abdomen may indicate cancer’s spread inside the abdominal cavity.
List of Symptoms of Stomach Cancer
In most cases, stomach cancer is not detected until it has spread. There is currently no suggested screening for stomach cancer before the onset of symptoms. Stomach cancer is often identified after the patient has experienced some discomfort. There may be no clear cause for the emergence of the following symptoms, yet, their presence cannot be denied when it occurs. Remember that many other conditions, such as stomach infection or an ulcer, may produce identical stomach cancer symptoms.
1. Trouble swallowing
Patient may have trouble swallowing, if there is obstruction at level of food pipe or stomach inlet due to disease. THis is usually due to tumor location or food pipe involvement / extension of disease It may become uncomfortable, as you have to take more time to chew and swallow, may cause cough or choking while doing so, or especially when food gets stuck in your throat.
2. Pain in Belly (Stomach)
Pain or discomfort in the upper portion of the abdomen, particularly above the navel, might indicate a stomach tumor. Stomach cancer may also cause abdominal lump, abdominal edema or fluid buildup that may cause pain/ discomfort
3. Feeling bloated after eating
Stomach cancer may cause abdominal fullness or swelling, especially after eating. However, stomach cancer patients are often misdiagnosed when they experience bloating due to its similarity to symptoms of more prevalent conditions such as indigestion, constipation, and menstruation.
4. Feeling full after eating small amounts of food
Altered interest for eating may be seen in stomach cancer. It’s normal to feel a little hungry every once in a while, but if it lasts more than a few days, it’s time to consult a doctor. Many people may also have lack of interest to eat. Even though stomach cancer is only one of many potential causes of anorexia, a prolonged lack of appetite is the reason for alarm. Early satiation, or feeling full after a very small meal, is another symptom that may occur in persons with stomach cancer
5. Not feeling hungry when you would expect to be hungry
Cancer and its treatment can cause patients to lose or have a diminished appetite. This may cause you to eat less than usual, feel satisfied after a modest meal, or experience none of these things.
Constantly not feeling hungry might cause major health problems. For example, cachexia, which involves severe weight loss and nutritional deficiencies, causes extreme tiredness and weakness. These problems might delay healing and cause therapy to be interrupted
6. Heartburn in the Stomach
Anyone may get heartburn, but the symptoms they experience depend on their sphincter’s ability to close and the quantity of acid their stomach produces. Overweight people, chronic alcoholics and smokers are also at increased risk of heartburn.
7. Indigestion
A common gastric cancer symptom is a feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen, even after a little meal. Heartburn, decreased appetite and also not digesting eaten food adequately may be signs of Stomach cancer.p>
8. Nausea and Vomiting
Particularly the regurgitation of solid food so quickly after consuming it with occasional blood has been found in cases of stomach cancer. The term feeling full after eating a tiny quantity refers to the sensation many cancer patients report having in their upper bellies after consuming very modest quantities of food.
9. Losing weight without trying
Cachexia is a term used to describe the significant loss of body weight that occurs when these symptoms continue without purposeful dieting. People with advanced cancer often experience this kind of weight loss. If you lose more than five percent of your body weight in six months without making any changes to your food or exercise routine, you should see your doctor. Cancer’s later stages are often characterized by unintentional weight loss.
10. Feeling very tired
Having cancer, tiredness is one of the common cancer symptoms. But, on the other hand, cancer tiredness might leave you too worn out to take pleasure in life. No amount of sleep or rest can alleviate this form of acute weariness. In addition, cancer treatment side effects, including despair and stress, as well as chemotherapy and radiation, may exacerbate cancer tiredness.
11. Stools that look black
Bleeding is one of the stomach cancer symptoms of early and advanced stages. This gradually lowers the RBC count in your blood (anemia). If your stomach is bleeding, you could notice that your poop is darker, practically black. Iron supplements may also cause darker feces.
The symptoms of stomach cancer grow more obvious and severe as the disease progresses. In certain cases, these may be among them:
- Excess gas and fluid in the abdomen cause belching or burping.
- Changes in skin or eye color, usually toward yellowing, are called jaundice.
- Evidence of anemia in the blood.
- Stomach ulcer that won’t go away.
There may be other causes for these signs than stomach cancer. Whether you suffer from any of these, though, it’s best to see a doctor to determine if you need further diagnostics.
Conclusion on Symptoms of Stomach Cancer
Due to the lack of knowledge surrounding stomach cancer’s origins and the inevitability of certain risk factors, such as hereditary predisposition, the illness cannot be avoided in all cases. The risk of illness may be reduced, however, by eating a diet that is low in processed foods and rich in fresh produce. The risk may also be reduced by not using smoke and drinking less alcohol. As a result of the unique mechanism in which protons transmit their energy, proton therapy in Apollo Hospital causes far less collateral damage to healthy tissue than photon treatment, although being just as effective at killing cells.
