What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?

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When a stomach cancer first develops and is small, it usually causes no symptoms. Some do not cause symptoms until they are quite advanced. Initial symptoms may include:

Pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, especially after eating.
Indigestion. (Note: most people who have indigestion do not have stomach cancer.)
Feeling sick, off food. Some people have a sense of fullness after eating.
Weight loss and/or loss of appetite. These are quite common symptoms of stomach cancer.
You may pass blood out with your faeces (motions). You may not notice bleeding if small amounts of blood passes out with your faeces. A lot of bleeding from the stomach can turn your faeces black.

As the cancer grows in the stomach, symptoms may become worse and include:

The same symptoms as above, but more severe.
You may feel generally unwell and more tired than usual.
You may become anaemic if the tumour regularly bleeds. This can cause you to become more tired than usual.
The cancer may grow very large and cause a 'blockage' to food and drink.

If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, various other symptoms can develop.

Note: all the above symptoms can be due to other conditions, so tests are needed to confirm stomach cancer.

By Rob Mansfield