Symptoms and recognition of stomach cancer: how to detect early signs of stomach cancer
Stomach cancer, as a common and serious threat to life and health, early detection is essential for improving the cure rate and the quality of life of patients. Understanding the symptoms of stomach cancer and how to accurately identify these early signals can give us a lead in the fight against stomach cancer.
I. Common symptoms of stomach cancer
(i) Unwell upper abdomen
This is one of the most common initial symptoms of stomach cancer. Many sufferers feel pain in their abdomen, swelling, heavy or burning. This discomfort may be sporadic and there is no apparent pattern. At first, it may be light, be mistaken for minor disorders such as general indigestion or stomach inflammation and are often not given sufficient attention. Some patients, for example, feel a little swelling in their abdomen after eating, take a little break or take a bit of a digestive medicine, so it doesn’t matter, although this may be an early signal from stomach cancer.
(ii) Desperate appetite
The sudden and marked decline in appetite is also an important expression of stomach cancer. Patients may have had a good amount of food, but they are losing interest in food, not eating what they like to eat, and even a sense of disgust. This is because the normal digestive and oscillating function of the stomach has been affected by the disease, resulting in the inability of the body to receive and process food feeding signals as normal as usual, thus reducing appetite. Some patients may also have a disgusting feeling, further exacerbating resistance to food.
(iii) Weight loss
In the absence of deliberate diets or increased exercise, body weight decreases inexplicably and continuously, most likely as a symptom of stomach cancer. The presence of tumours in the stomach, on the one hand, affects the normal digestion and absorption of food, making it impossible for the body to obtain adequate nutrition from food, and, on the other hand, the tumours themselves consume a significant amount of energy. Over time, the patient will lose weight. For example, in some cases, the body weight may have dropped by a few pounds or more in a few months, and it is important to be alert to the possibility of stomach cancer.
(iv) Black or gout blood
When stomach cancer develops to a certain extent, tumours may infringe on the stomach ‘ s blood vessels and lead to haemorrhage. If hemorrhage is low, after a series of chemical reactions in the intestinal tract, the blood becomes black, which is what we call black shit. If the haemorrhage is high, it may occur, and blood is seen directly in the urine or in the dark red. Black poop or gout blood is a more obvious anomaly, but sometimes it is easily overlooked, for example, because some people may think they have eaten certain foods or because of a change in the color of the goo, so once the goo colour is detected, the reasons must be carefully checked.
(v) Vomiting
Some stomach cancer patients suffer from vomiting. The early stages may be characterized by only occasional minor vomiting after eating, and the content may be mainly the food that has just been eaten. As the condition evolves, vomiting may become more frequent and may contain stomach fluids, gravy and even blood. This is because tumours in the stomach hinder the normal way down the food, or stimulate the nerves of the stomach, causing vomit reflection.
II. Fuzzy situations and identification
(i) Confusion with stomachitis, stomach ulcer
Stomach inflammation and stomach ulcer are also symptoms of abdominal discomfort, pain, appetite, and very similar early signs of stomach cancer, which makes it difficult to identify them accurately. In general, however, stomach inflammation and stomach ulcer pains are often of a regular nature, such as stomach ulcer pains that often occur during a period of time after eating, which can then be alleviated later, while stomach inflammation may increase after eating stimulating foods, etc. The pain of stomach cancer is relatively irregular. In addition, the symptoms tend to be mitigated in a relatively short period of time when stomach inflammation and ulcer are routinely treated, while the symptoms of stomach cancer persist and even increase.
(ii) Confusion with indigestion
Indigestion also leads to abdominal discomfort and appetite. Indigestion, however, usually occurs in cases of heavy consumption, eating of indigestionable foods, etc. Symptoms tend to disappear quickly by means of diet adjustment and the use of some digestive drugs, etc. These symptoms of stomach cancer, even after dietary adjustment and routine treatment, are difficult to completely improve.
III. How to detect early signs of stomach cancer
(i) Focus on minor changes in the body
The habit of caring for physical change in everyday life cannot easily be ignored for any discomfort in the upper abdomen, changes in appetite, changes in weight, etc. Even a little anomaly could be an important signal from the body. For example, when a normal meal could have been eaten every day, and one day it felt like there was no appetite, it was time to think about whether there had been a physical problem recently, rather than simply the mood or some other element of chance.
(ii) Periodic medical examinations
Regular and comprehensive physical examination is an important means of early detection of stomach cancer. In the medical examination programme, the most direct and effective method of diagnosing stomach cancer is gastroscopy. It provides a clear view of the conditions within the stomach, including the state of the gastric mucous membranes, the presence of tumours, etc. For people over 40 years of age with high-risk factors such as stomach cancer, family history and chronic coli infection, it is recommended that a gastroscope examination be conducted at least once a year. In addition, a number of tumour markers in blood tests, such as the Carcinogen Antigens (CEA) and the Sugar Antigens CA19-9, although they are not individually tested with high accuracy, may be used as a basis for supporting diagnosis in combination with other results.
(iii) Knowledge of family history
If there are stomach cancer in the family, then they are at high risk of stomach cancer. In such cases, it is more important to pay close attention to their physical condition, to take preventive measures in advance and to carry out relevant examinations earlier and more frequently than the average person. Because genetic factors play a role in the development of stomach cancer, knowledge of family history can provide us with a more accurate understanding of their health risks.
(iv) Food and living habits
Maintaining good diet and living habits is important to prevent stomach cancer and to detect its early signs. Foods of high salt, smoke, pickled and fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc., should be minimized. At the same time, there is a need to stop smoking and alcohol, to avoid overwork and stress. Good living habits maintain the normal functioning of the body, reduce the likelihood of stomach cancer and make it easier to detect anomalies when symptoms occur.
Symptoms of stomach cancer are sometimes hidden and easily confused with other common diseases, but we can increase the probability of early detection of signs of stomach cancer by valuing the time for timely treatment and improving the quality of life and cure rates of patients by focusing on minor changes in the body, regular medical examinations, family history and good diet and living habits. We must keep an eye on our bodies, fight diseases such as stomach cancer and protect our health.
