Stomach cancer also known as gastric cancer starts in the inner layer cells of the stomach. However, cancer can also attack more deeply into the wall of stomach. The tumor of stomach can grow through its outer layers and can affect the nearby organs like esophagus, liver, intestine or pancreas. The cell of such cancer also enters the blood vessels which are linked to other body tissues and can later damage them. Stomach cancer grows slowly without coming into notice. You can notice the stomach cancer symptoms once the cancer has spread beyond the stomach like in liver.
Symptoms
You have to be extra careful when you notice any symptoms which are mentioned below. Person having stomach cancer will show following symptoms:
- Pain in stomach area
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Weight loss
- Feeling bloated
- Blood vomiting
Other than this, the person can also show symptoms like:
1. Changes in Bowel Habits
Diarrhea or constipation is some changes in the bowel habits which can be stomach cancer symptoms. Such type of problem is non-specific symptom and is exclusive to the disease. However, there are other serious conditions which can also result in diarrhea problem.
2. Pain in Abdominal Area
One of the common symptoms of such problem is difficulty in eating and extreme pain in abdominal area. Most of the patients can suffer from anemia because of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Such cancer patients can also sense fullness in stomach even when they did not eat much.
3. Bleeding from the Stool
If you are bleeding from stool then chances of stomach cancer are high. For this, you can check the blood after wiping with toilet tissue. However, it can be less serious symptom as it can be because of anal fissures or hemorrhoids as well. Still it is always better to talk to doctor on this. Usually, you can see blood in the stool. Your stool might be containing some trace amount of blood with test like fecal occult blood test can detect.
4. Constant Nausea and Vomiting
If you are facing continuous vomiting and nausea problem then it can be symptom of stomach cancer. Make sure you immediately visit your doctor, if you face this problem for long. However, there can be some other serious problem as well which can cause damage to lining of esophagus. If blood is coming out from the vomit then visit the doctor right away. Other than, if you find some problem in swallowing then it might be due to tumor on the stomach’s upper part.
5. Loss of Appetite
If you do not feel hungry for most of the time or do not eat much then it is not normal thing. If this happens for long then immediately talk to your doctor on this. Appetite loss can be related to many healthy problems and is not limited to stomach cancer. However, you never know what turns out its result.
6. Extreme Belching
Such problem can be early stomach cancer symptoms. If you find some discomfort while moving then it is something really serious. If there is some pain along with it that means tumor has increases through the stomach walls.
7. Weight Loss
If you are losing weight without any efforts then it is something which you should not neglect. Such type of problem is a real health concern which needs to be attended. If you have lost your weight of about 5% of body in less than 6 months without exercising or dieting then talk to your doctor immediately. It can be one of the symptoms of stomach cancer or any other type of cancer.
8. Abdominal Bloating
Such problem can also occur with stomach cancer. If you have bloating problem after meal then chances are high. Sensation of heart burning or indigestion can be other symptoms related to stomach cancer.
It is very difficult to understand the exact symptoms of stomach cancer. Usually doctors diagnose this problem at advanced stage as most of the symptoms are visible at that time. You can find the symptoms when it has already spread in most of the stomach area. For treating stomach cancer, there are many factors which must be considered. Factors like cancer location, its growth and patients overall health must be taken into consideration. The treatment focuses on eliminating such problem, however, if this is not possible then doctors try to stop or lessen the symptoms.
