Serious Warning Signs Of Stomach Cancer

Numerous symptoms are indicative of stomach cancer. Get to know them now.

Stomach Pain And Bloating

An individual affected by stomach cancer may experience pain in their breastbone that worsens after eating. Some patients who have had stomach cancer describe the pain as a burning sensation that occurs in their upper abdomen, similar to the pain that occurs with a stomach ulcer. Others describe stomach cancer pain as more of a persistent gnawing sensation. Some forms of stomach cancer cause a dull ache sensation in the middle of the stomach. Bloating is most likely to occur in stomach cancer patients after they have consumed a meal. The bloating that occurs in individuals who have stomach cancer may also be attributed to ascites, which refers to an inappropriate accumulation of excess fluid in the pelvis or abdomen. A tumor on the outer layer of the stomach tissue can cause bleeding that may present as ascites. Furthermore, stomach cancer that has spread to neighboring lymph nodes or vessels can cause an accumulation of fluid in the abdomen. This malfunction occurs because cancer cells clog up components of the system responsible for returning excess fluid into circulation.

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Full After Small Amounts Of Food

An individual with stomach cancer may feel full after they consume even small amounts of food, a symptom that may also be referred to as early satiety. The mechanism behind this symptom can be anything that disables stomach emptying. An individual's stomach tumor can take up space near the area where food passes from the stomach into the small intestine, resulting in delayed emptying of the stomach. A patient with a stomach tumor that compresses the first part of the large intestine can also delay stomach emptying. If an individual's tumor is large enough and spans across the inside of the stomach, it can cause an obstruction in the normal movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine. Furthermore, stomach cancer that damages the nerve and muscle tissues responsible for propelling food from the stomach to the small intestine can cause a patient to experience early satiety.

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Severe And Persistent Indigestion And Heartburn

Severe and persistent indigestion and heartburn can indicate an individual is being affected by stomach cancer. Many patients affected by certain forms of stomach cancer describe feeling a burning sensation when they swallow food. This feeling becomes concerning and indicative of stomach cancer when it continues for three weeks or longer. Heartburn occurs when acid flows backward into the esophagus and causes pain because the esophageal lining does not have the same protective mucus layer. Cancerous tumors in the stomach can secrete substances that cause the stomach to produce too much acid. The excess acid and inflammation from the cancerous tumor can cause gastric acid to travel back up into the esophagus. A large enough tumor can take up too much space in an individual's stomach and cause its contents to flow backward into the esophagus, resulting in heartburn and indigestion. Furthermore, individuals who have chronic heartburn or indigestion originally are more likely to develop stomach cancer than others.

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Unexplained Nausea And Vomiting

A cancerous tumor in the stomach can take up room and reduce the amount of space for food. This can, as mentioned, occur because the tumor impairs the mechanical action of stomach emptying and delays the movement of the food into the small intestine. This mechanism can be painful in some patients and is often relieved by vomiting. Food that cannot move past the stomach can begin to ferment or undergo a chemical break down process in the absence of oxygen. The environment created during this process is favorable for the growth of harmful bacteria, which can cause a patient to become nauseous and vomit. Food that sits in the stomach too long can develop into a bezoar or a hard, solid collection. Bezoars can obstruct the gastrointestinal tract, which also results in nausea and vomiting. Furthermore, bleeding from the tumor inside of a patient's stomach can cause it to become irritated and result in vomiting.

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Unintended Weight Loss

Unintended weight loss is when an individual loses over ten percent of their body weight for no apparent reason. Several mechanisms can contribute to weight loss in an individual who has stomach cancer. Appetite loss is a common manifestation in stomach cancer patients due to their early satiety. A stomach tumor can press on an affected individual's intestines, causing them to feel bloated easily. Unintended weight loss accompanied by severe bloating after consuming food or even just a beverage can indicate the individual has stomach cancer. The hunger signals that come from the patient's brain are disrupted or shut down prematurely during the consumption of food, causing them to lose their appetite. In addition, cancerous stomach tumors can secrete substances that intercept natural hunger signals, causing appetite loss and subsequent weight loss.

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Blood In The Stool

Stomach cancer can cause damage to the stomach, esophagus, and intestinal linings. The linings of the intestines, stomach, and esophagus are supplied with blood by tiny blood vessels that split open and burst when cancerous cells invade into them. Blood vessels in the linings and even as deep as the muscular tissues that make up the digestive tract become damaged by invasive cancerous cells and leak blood into the contents of the stomach and or intestines. None of the blood components are reabsorbed from the stool as it moves through the rest of the intestinal tract, and it is excreted in the stool as a result. When the damage to the blood vessels from cancer occurs in the first parts of the digestive tract, the stool will appear similar to coffee grounds or have a tarry color and consistency. This texture and color are due to the blood having plenty of time to clot while it is moving through the remainder of the intestinal tract before it is excreted. Bright red blood in stools is rarely caused by stomach cancer unless it has metastasized to the last segments of the large intestine.

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Jaundice

Jaundice is a condition where an individual's skin and white of their eyes develop a yellow-colored tint. Advanced stomach cancer spreads to the liver more often than any other organ. When advanced stomach cancer spreads to the tissues of the liver, the bile duct can become obstructed from cancerous overgrowth. Bilirubin is produced by the liver from the broken down components and wastes from red blood cells. Bilirubin is synthesized into bile, which moves to the gallbladder and is further concentrated before flowing into the small intestine. An obstructed duct causes bile to back up into the gallbladder, which causes the buildup of bilirubin in the liver. Once both of these organs are at capacity, the bilirubin begins to spill into the patient's bloodstream and leeches into their skin. Bilirubin has a potent yellow pigment, which is why the buildup causes yellowing of the skin and eyes.

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Anemia

Anemia is a condition where an individual's body does not have enough healthy and functioning red blood cells to meet its demand. Anemia can result from one of many malfunctions in the body, including stomach cancer. A stomach cancer patient may have difficulty with the absorption of minerals from the food they eat because the cancerous cells cause damage to the lining of the first segment of their small intestine. Since iron is required to produce red blood cells and diet is an individual's only source of it, an impairment in the absorption of iron in the small intestine can lead to anemia or a shortage of healthy red blood cells. Anemia can also result from stomach cancer in individuals who have tumors in the tissue of the stomach or intestine that penetrates the linings and causes widespread damage to the small blood vessels that supply such tissues with blood. Excessive bleeding in the digestive tract can lower the number of healthy red blood cells circulating around the patient's body.

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Issues Swallowing

There are several ways in which the growth of a tumor in the stomach tissues can result in the malfunction of an individual's swallowing mechanism. The simple mechanical interference of the growing cancerous tissue from the top of the stomach into the esophagus can create a narrower path for food to take to reach the stomach. Cancerous tissue can grow outside of or into the tissues of the esophagus where nerves responsible for swallowing are located. When invasive cancerous tissues cause damage to the nerves, they may not be able to signal to the correct muscles when to contract during the process of swallowing. Cancerous tissues can invade into the actual muscle tissues themselves and impair the ability of the muscle to make a proper contraction. When a muscle that is vital to the action of swallowing cannot contract, the patient will experience difficulty with their ability to swallow.

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Persistent Fatigue

There are a few reasons why persistent fatigue can develop in those with stomach cancer. Stomach cancer can cause problems and interference with the ability to digest and absorb the food properly. When the nutrients and components of food are not digested, they are not absorbed, and they cannot be utilized for cellular functions and operations. Without nutrients like glucose that come from the food consumed, the cells are unable to produce energy for the body. Another reason why stomach cancer can produce persistent fatigue is that cancerous cells are just like normal cells, requiring glucose, oxygen, and other nutrients to carry out their malicious activities. Because cancerous cells multiply and grow out of control, they can consume the glucose and nutrients that would otherwise be used by healthy cells. When there is a shortage of energy being produced by the healthy cells in the body, the energy produced is relocated to cater to vital organs, instead of the limb muscles. It is this shortage of energy that causes persistent fatigue in stomach cancer patients.