Early Symptoms of Stomach Cancer | Risk Factors

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What is actually stomach cancer? Like the name implies, it is a kind of cancer in the stomach (a malignant tumor that arises and grows from the lining of the stomach). The other familiar name of this disease is gastric cancer. What are early symptoms of stomach cancer? And what are ways that you can do to lower your risk? Read also about prognosis of this disease!

The good news, the number of individuals who are diagnosed with gastric cancer every year in the U.S is declining. But this disease is fairly common in other areas of the world, like in Asian countries (especially such as in Japan).

However, it is much better learn and know more about the causes (risk factors) and symptoms of stomach cancer, so thus you will get the right time when you should see your doctor immediately. Get to know also ways that you can do to prevent or lower your risk of this disease!

Early symptoms of stomach cancer in women and men

There is no significant difference between symptoms of stomach cancer in women and in men. But, some studies found that this disease is more common in men than in women.

In the early stage of the disease, most patients usually only experience few symptoms or even very few signs. This is one of reasons of why gastric cancer is often diagnosed at severe /later stage. Moreover, some of these early symptoms also can be caused by other health conditions (such as stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer -- read also some stomach ulcer symptoms).

According to the National Cancer Institute, these early signs may include:

1. Nausea, particularly mild nausea. It may also be followed by vomiting /mild vomiting.
2. You may feel heartburn (an irritation that occurs in the esophagus).
3. Lack of appetite or even you may feel loss of appetite. It’s normal when you lose your appetite for 1-2 days. But if you experience this symptom, it’s much better to see a doctor to keep safe and make sure that there is nothing wrong with your body.
4. After eating, you feel a bloated feeling.
5. Stomach discomfort and indigestion! 

And then along with the progression of the disease, other more discomfort /severe symptoms may occur -- these include:

1. Weight loss, particularly if it occurs without clearly reason. If in the less of 6 months you loss about five percent of your healthy body, you should begin to ask to yourself whether there is something wrong, particularly if you experience it without doing weight loss diet or exercise.
2. Unusual vomiting (particularly such as blood vomiting).
3. Blood that is found in the stool. This is one of common stomach cancer symptoms, but it also can be found in other health conditions (such as colon cancer or other less serious problem like anal fissures & hemorrhoids). In addition, sometimes blood in the stool also can be unnoticeable (not always visible). 
4. Fatigue or even extremely fatigue, particularly if it lasts longer (more than a few days). This can be a sign of medical problem, such as gastric cancer. In stomach cancer, this symptom is usually often associated with anemia that occurs due to more blood loss through vomiting or in the stool.
5. You may also experience discomfort in the middle /upper part of your abdomen.
6. Pain in the stomach or abdominal pain. This problem usually occurs after eating. But other health conditions such as bile duct, gallbladder cancer, and liver cancer also can cause this symptom.

Furthermore, people with gastric cancer may also experience changes of their bowel habits, diarrhea, and constipation. Even some of them may also have difficulty swallowing problem.

***If you doubt in your condition, see a doctor promptly to keep safe and to get clearly diagnosis of any symptom or problem that you experience!

Risk factors of stomach cancer

There is still no exact cause of gastric cancer. But there are some conditions or factors that can put someone at higher risk of stomach cancer, which may include:

1. Certain infections in the stomach that are caused by H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori).
2. Elderly people, particularly for those who are at 74 years of old for women and 70 years of old for men.
3. Gender! Like mentioned before, men has higher risk than women to develop gastric cancer. But this doesn’t mean that stomach cancer cannot occur in women.
4. People with chronic gastritis.
5. People who have a family history of stomach cancer.
6. And other risk factors may include smoking, gastric polyps, diet with poor intake of vegetables & fruits (or high intake in smoked, salted, or preserved foods), and pernicious anemia.

Other conditions that may also increase your risk are:

1. If you are often exposed with asbestos fibers.
2. If you have a job that work in certain industries, such as timber processing factory, rubber processing industries, nickel refining industries, and coal mining industries.
3. If you are heavy drinker of alcohol or use regularly tobacco.

Prevention tips

And what are ways that you can do to lower your risk or prevent a stomach cancer?

1. Eat foods that are high in fiber. Color your daily menu with fresh vegetables and fruits!
2. Limit the intake of smoked and salty foods!
3. If you are a heavy drinker of alcohol or if you are a smoker, you should stop from these bad habits as earlier as possible!

The last, if you have some medical conditions that can increase your risk of gastric cancer, ask completely to your doctor about ways that you should do!

For more detailed information about risk factors, prevention tips, and symptoms of stomach cancer, don’t forget to discuss more with your doctor.
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Reference: WebMD and MayoClinic