Stomach Cancer Symptoms And Signs

What Are The Early Symptoms Of Stomach Cancer?

 
Are there early symptoms of stomach cancer? The short answer to the question is yes, but many as 90 percent of stomach cancer patients don't realize they have stomach cancer symptoms and signs until the later stages of the disease. Early stomach cancer symptoms and signs can easily be mistaken for less serious stomach problems. For this reason, the first signs of stomach cancer are often disregarded or taken lightly.  

Early symptoms of stomach cancer symptoms might include general stomach pain, a feeling of indigestion or heartburn (also known as acid reflux) and occasional mild nausea.

As a stomach cancer tumor grows, it can metastacize (spread to other organs). Symptoms become more specific. Later stage stomach cancer symptoms and signs include

• upper stomach pain or discomfort, especially after a meal.
• you feel full sooner than usual.
• you may find blood in your stool,
• you may start getting constipated often,
• fatigue and a general sense of weariness may begin to occur,
• you won't want to eat as much as you have in the past.
• you'll occasionally suffer from nausea,
• you'll vomit for seemingly unexplained reasons, and
• you'll begin to drop pounds unexpectedly.

But sadly, by the time these symptoms appear, cancer cells may have spread to the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, liver, small intestine or colon. By this time, treatment becomes much more difficult and a cure is less likely.

See our related article on stomach cancer testing.