Stomach Cancer Symptoms

People often leave early stomach cancer symptoms untreated because the symptoms can be so similar to the symptoms of much more common ailments such as a peptic ulcer, a hiatal hernia, or Barrett’s Esophagus symptoms.

In particular, stomach cancer symptoms can easily be mistaken for stomach ulcer symptoms. This can be a deadly mistake so if you experience many of these symptoms distinctly and simultaneously, I suggest you discuss the matter with your physician rather than make the assumption you’re experiencing one and not the other.

Common Digestive Symptoms that Overlap With Stomach Cancer Symptoms

Some stomach cancer symptoms shared with more common and less severe conditions are the following:

  • Dull stomach pain exacerbated by food (any food, not just spicy or acidic food)
  • A frequent general nausea
  • Frequent sense of burning in the mid to upper torso (“heartburn”)
  • A queasy indigestion
  • Unusually frequent burping

While I don’t mean to frighten you, I do suggest seeking medical advice if you persistently experience these symptoms. Often times, people relate these symptoms to stress and treat them casually with antacids or H-2 blockers.

The problem is you might experience some short-lived relief with these treatments, but you may also mask the symptoms to a degree where you delay a physician’s ability to identify genuine stomach cancer symptoms and diagnose the cancer early enough to treat it successfully.

Stomach Cancer Symptoms

If you experience a few of the following more severe stomach cancer symptoms simultaneously, I recommend visiting a medical professional soon:

  • Unusual sense of feeling full even after a particularly small meal
  • Appetite loss
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Weight loss
  • More pronounced pain in the upper abdomen
  • Vomiting or more pronounced nausea

In particular if you experience anemia (weakness, tiredness and breathlessness) while also finding blood after either bowel movements or vomiting, you must act to treat yourself as soon as possible.

Note that blood in the stool will often be perceived as dark and dense, tar-like. It may not be distinctly red. Blood in vomit can sometimes be bright red if it is fresh, but sometimes it may also be dark and sticky if it has been sitting in your stomach for some time before expelled.

Understanding Stomach Cancer Symptoms

The reason the usual symptoms of anemia (weakness, tiredness and breathlessness) can also be stomach cancer symptoms is that it is common for stomach cancer to cause bleeding in your stomach. Any persistent bleeding will likely make you anemic as it indicates a low blood cell count. Anemia may even make you look pale while you feel tired. Breathlessness will develop when the anemia becomes more severe as your blood struggles to pass oxygen throughout your system.

One of the more severe stomach cancer symptoms you need to consider are blood clots. If, along with the discussed symptoms, you experience pain or swelling in a leg or sudden chest pain and breathlessness, you may have developed a blood clot in your lung or leg. You should contact your doctor immediately to be treated with anti-clotting medication.

The good news is that stomach cancer is often successfully treated if discovered relatively early. I don’t mean to make you paranoid, but being attentive and honest with what the combined signals of your body mean can literally save your life. So be attentive to these stomach cancer symptoms, especially if you experience several of these symptoms simultaneously.