Stomach cancer causes few symptoms and these symptoms are not very specific. Pain, weight loss… When to worry? Are the symptoms in women and men the same?
stomach cancer causes few specific signsAbove all at the onset of the disease. As the tumor grows, it may cause other symptoms that require Exams to make a diagnosis. What symptoms can suggest stomach cancer? When to worry? What examinations should be done according to the clinical manifestations? Lighting with Pr Frédérique Peschaud, visceral surgeon and digestive at the Ambroise-Paré hospital (APHP-Paris Saclay University).
1. Pain in the pit of the stomach
“A epigastric pain (called epigastralgia) – pain located in the upper part of the stomach, between the sternum and the navel – can be a sign ofa stomach ulcer. The ulcer corresponds to a loss of substance at the level of the internal layer of the stomach, it can be favored by a bacterium (Helicobacter pylori) and it is one of the risk factors for stomach cancer“, details Professor Frédérique Peschaud. Pain then looks like a cramp or a feeling of painful hunger. “THE pain in the epigastrium increases when the tumor develops. But be careful, there is patients who have stomach cancer and have no pain“, specifies our interlocutor.
2. Unexplained weight loss
“A loss of appetite and weight, which are obviously not voluntary, can be suggestive of stomach cancer“, indicates our specialist. Please note that weight loss is not a specific sign of stomach cancer and can be indicative of a multitude of causes. If the doctor suspects gastric cancer, he will prescribe a endoscopy (or gastric fibroscopy) which makes it possible to examine the entire internal surface of the upper digestive system (oesophagus, stomach, duodenum) in order to detect the presence of any lesions or ulcerations. “It is an examination which is carried out on an outpatient basis, most often under local anesthesia and which is little painful“. If on endoscopy, a suspicious lesion is discovered, a biopsy is analyzed under a microscope. Its examination makes it possible to know whether the cells that make up the detected lesion are normal or cancerous.
3. Severe fatigue
“A patient with stomach cancer is usually very tired. On the other hand, fatigue does not necessarily mean the presence of cancer. It is a non-specific symptom that is found in other pathologies“, would like to restore Professor Peschaud.
4. Anemia
“Anemia can alert and sometimes reveal the presence of stomach polyp. Anemia is a abnormal drop in hemoglobin in the blood. Typical signs of anemia are pallor (pale, white complexion), shortness of breath without particular effort and persistent fatigue. If you have these symptoms you should do a blood test which measures the blood hemoglobin level“, recommends Professor Peschaud. In case of low hemoglobin level, it may be necessary to do a digestive endoscopy to explore the digestive tract and detect the possible presence of a polyp. A polyp can cause chronic micro-bleeding that goes unnoticed. “Once once more, let us insist on the fact thatanemia is not specific to stomach cancerthe causes of anemia are multiple“, supports the expert.
5. Difficulty swallowing
“As cancer progresses, it can lead to dysphagia (difficulty or inability to swallow certain foods and drinks, feeling that the food is stuck…). Dysphagia is also more suggestive of esophageal cancer (part of the digestive tract connecting the pharynx to the stomach) or the esophagogastric junction (junction between the esophagus and the stomach). As the esophagus is a narrow tube, the presence of a tumor can more easily alert the patient, compared to a tumor growing in the stomach which is a larger organ.“, explains our specialist.
6. Gastrointestinal bleeding (for advanced cancer)
“Digestive bleeding can be one of the signs of stomach cancer. But there are a whole host of other possible causes. We must be reassured by saying that digestive bleeding is far from being the first sign of stomach cancer. If there is hemorrhage, the cancer is at a more advanced stage“, describes Professor Peschaud. Digestive hemorrhage corresponds to bleeding in the digestive tract which can manifest par vomiting blood, blood in the stool or by the emission of red blood from the anus.
Are the symptoms the same in women and men?
“Yes, the symptoms are much the same in women or men“, answers our interlocutor.
Can stomach cancer be asymptomatic?
“Yes, stomach cancer can be discovered from fortuitous waywithout the patient showing any symptoms“, observes Professor Peschaud.
Thanks to Pr Frédérique Peschaud, visceral and digestive surgeon at Ambroise-Paré Hospital (APHP-Paris Saclay University)
Sources :
– French National Society of Gastro-Enterology, SNFGE
– Institut national du Cancer
– Stomach Cancer, ARC Foundation
