The First Symptoms of Gastric Cancer
The first symptoms of gastric cancer may be asymptomatic. They can be nonspecific and vague. The first sign of the disease may show themselves as another types of illness. Most people will not believe that their symptoms could actually be cancer, so they may believe that it is something else entirely. Most gastric cancers do not become diagnosed until the later stages of the cancer where it is harder to fight. The most early signs are a loss of appetite and indigestion. These are symptoms that can easily be thought of as just a stomach ache. Many other problems may seem like it could be gastric cancer, but they are not. These are stomach ulcers, tropical sprue, and a stomach virus. A stomach virus is more like the stomach flu, or gastroenteritis. This stomach virus can also cause diarrhea and vomiting that may make a person believe that they are suffering from something more serious. If a person has these it does not necessarily mean that they will have gastric cancer. The only way to be diagnosed with gastric cancer is through an oncologist or a gastroenterologist.
According to Cancer Overview .com, Gastric cancers are one of the most poorly diagnosed cancers due to their abilities to mask other diseases. By the time a person finds out that they have the cancer it may already be too late. The later symptoms of gastric cancer during the later stages, a person may suffer from vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, dyspepsia, weight loss, loss of appetite, bloating, fatigue, weakness, blood in the stools, or blood in vomit, and dysphagia. Dysphagia is a gastric tumor that extends into the esophagus. Stomach viruses can be caused by many things, such as salmonella, staphylococcus, shigella, clostridium, yersinia, campylobacter jejuni, vibrio cholerae, or escherichia coli. All of these symptoms could strongly appear to be a gastric cancer. The vomiting, bloating, loss of appetite, and diarrhea could seem like symptoms of gastric cancer. This is another reason why it is so hard to diagnose the stomach cancer. People suffer from stomach aches, flus, ulcers, heartburn, food poisoning, and acid indigestion all the time, but it does not mean that they have such a serious disease as gastric cancer.
People who have gastric cancer in the beginning may lose their appetite for meat entirely. Just the thought of meat may send them to the toilet. The abdominal pain that can come with gastric cancer can be a feeling of inflammation in the esophagus that could feel like severe heartburn. The abdominal pain can be so severe that a person may seek medical attention. This is usually when they are diagnosed. Bloating can also occur with gastric cancer that may make the abdomen feel tight, extended, or as if it is swelling. The bloating will mostly occur after meals Menstruation can also cause these type of feelings. A person with gastric cancer may also feel sick all the time, and difficulty in swallowing. They will also feel tired all the time due to anemia caused by blood loss. The feces will also be darkly colored, which is not normal. If a person is persistently vomiting for longer than a few days, it is recommended that they seek medical attention.