{"id":1281,"date":"2022-07-18T07:39:43","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T07:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/?p=1281"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:05:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:05:31","slug":"how-to-detect-stomach-cancer-11-early-signs-of-gastric-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/how-to-detect-stomach-cancer-11-early-signs-of-gastric-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Detect Stomach Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stomach cancer is a relatively common malignancy, with statistics showing that around 7 in 100,000 people get a diagnosis each year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The disease primarily affects older patients, but it&#8217;s equally prevalent among genders, with men usually being more susceptible to developing the problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because detecting stomach cancer symptoms can prove difficult, patients and health experts should understand the unique signs and traits this malignancy can mimic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As such, in this article, we&#8217;ll aim to cover the most obvious signs, talk about when to worry about stomach cancer, and discuss different stomach cancer stages, along with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/surgical-oncology\/gist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">stomach cancer treatment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> options.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>When to Worry About Stomach Cancer &#8211; What is It?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gastric, or stomach cancer, is a disease in which healthy and normal cells are suddenly replaced by rapidly growing and dividing cancer cells inside the lining of the stomach. The stomach is the organ directly under the esophagus, the tube that allows the food to get into the intestines after biting, chewing, and swallowing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When cancer develops, the malignant cells start to grow and divide uncontrollably, replacing healthy cells. As cancer progresses, it can spread and even move to neighboring organs or even further in the body, attacking other healthy organs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pinpointing stomach cancer symptoms can often be difficult because the malignancy usually grows slowly, which can take years to develop. On the other hand, this can be somewhat beneficial during gastric cancer staging, especially when the malignancy is discovered early.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1283 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It.jpg\" alt=\"Stomach Cancer. Cancer Attacking Cell. Stomach Disease Concept\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/When-to-Worry-About-Stomach-Cancer-What-is-It.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Types of Gastric Cancer<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Based on the location where the cancer cells start to grow, experts differentiate several gastric malignancy types:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Adenocarcinoma:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This disease develops in the stomach&#8217;s innermost lining. This is also the most common variant of gastric cancer, which occurs in roughly about 90% of cases after assessing the presence of stomach cancer symptoms.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Lymphoma: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is actually a malignancy of the immune system and accounts for only about 4% of all gastric cancers. It can be broken up into two subsets:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Primary lymphoma:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Initially involving the stomach, the disease may spread to the lymph nodes, the bone marrow, and other organs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Secondary lymphoma:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This initially originates from other areas of the body, like the bone marrow, lymph nodes, or circulating blood. The stomach cancer symptoms show secondarily as the malignancy spreads to the stomach.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This is a soft tissue sarcoma that can develop in the connective tissue of the stomach.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Neuroendocrine cancer: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These cancer cells originally come from the endocrine and nervous systems of the intestine. They are also referred to as carcinoid tumors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Stomach Cancer Stages<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gastric cancer staging will most probably be staged on the spread and the severity of the cell growth. In the case of adenocarcinoma, or malignancies that form in the glandular tissue in different organ linings, staging is usually based on the TNM system, or the tumor, node, metastasis method.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As such, TNM staging looks like this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The T stands for how deeply has the cancerous tumor spread into the wall of the stomach<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The N stands for whether cancer has managed to spread to the lymphatic system<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The M stands for whether the disease has managed to spread to other organs<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Experts can perform gastric cancer staging based on the information gathered following the TNM staging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stomach cancer staging may have the following levels:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stage 0 is the malignancy at its early stage, on the lining of the stomach, on the surface.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stage 1A or 1B<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stage 2A or stage 2B, in which cancer has managed to spread deeper in the wall of the stomach<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stages 3A, 3B, and 3C, in which the lymph nodes are usually also infected<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stage 4, in which the malignancy has spread to other organs as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Gastric Cancer Causes<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unfortunately, medical experts can&#8217;t rule out a single main cause for these malignancies, and in some cases, they may develop without any risk factors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some lifestyle choices may be able to increase the chances of developing stomach cancer, but medical professionals also agree that those patients who are exposed to long-term gastric inflammation from chronic illness and\/or lifestyle choices are generally at a higher risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When assessing the medical problems and stomach cancer, the most common causes may be:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other tumors may appear in the gastrointestinal tract.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GERD or stomach reflex<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The abnormal growth of polyps in the lining of the stomach<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stomach infections may lead to the formation of ulcers, like H. pylori bacterial infections.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When to worry about stomach cancer when lifestyle choices are concerned? Experts agree that the risk factors are much more prevalent in those people who:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Smoke<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eat too many processed foods<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Overeat smoked meat<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have a sodium-rich diet<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are physically inactive<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don&#8217;t cook or store food properly<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abuse alcohol<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are obese<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lastly, here are other risk factors that patients cannot change:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Age (being 50 or older)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a family history of the disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a vitamin deficiency called pernicious anemia<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being male<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The genetic or ethnic makeup<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Stomach Cancer Symptoms<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first telltale signs of gastric cancer may be easy to miss or easy to misdiagnose. Heartburn, nausea, vomiting, appetite changes, and indigestion are all symptoms that may indicate less severe problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, the most prevalent signs are the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nausea<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Changes in the patient&#8217;s appetite<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frequent vomiting with or without blood<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Heartburn<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abdominal swelling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Indigestion<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Losing weight without trying<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discomfort or pain in the abdominal area<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discomfort above the navel<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anemia<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feeling full in the upper abdomen even without eating much<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, people should know that many of these stomach cancer symptoms are also common signs of gastritis, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aboutgerd.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GERD<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and peptic ulcers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When to worry about stomach cancer? The problem is that the disease may remain undetected for years because the early stages produce no obvious warning signs. However, if patients are vigilant and experience these symptoms mildly but persistently, they should share their concerns with their doctors to perform the necessary tests and exams.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Diagnosis<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are several screening options for gastric cancer, and these diagnostic evaluations include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The revision of the patient&#8217;s medical history<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Physical exam<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biopsy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CT scan<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Endoscopic ultrasound<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PET or positron emission tomography<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1284 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis.jpg\" alt=\"Close Up of a Nurse Operating a CT Scan Machine While a Patient Is Laying On It\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/132\/2022\/08\/Diagnosis.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Treatment<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Treatment methods will depend on the type of cancer the patient has, its location, and its stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That being said, the courses of action may include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Radiation therapy, where the cancer cells are destroyed with X-rays<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chemotherapy, during which cancer cells are destroyed with a variety of drugs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Surgery for removing the tumor and some healthy tissue to determine the severity of the malignancy further<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Targeted therapy targets the genes, tissue, or proteins that support the growth of malignant cells. The therapy blocks the growth and spread of the cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Opt for High-Quality Car<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gastric cancer may be hard to detect and may go unnoticed for years. As with every malignancy, early diagnosis is key for making a swift and smooth recovery. If you or a loved one may have concerns regarding this malignancy, feel free to schedule an appointment with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/omar-rashid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dr. Omar Rashid<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to rule out any severe disease down the road.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stomach cancer is a relatively common malignancy, with statistics showing that around 7 in 100,000 people get a diagnosis each<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[85,86,82,84,83],"class_list":["post-1281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stomach-cancer","tag-gastric-cancer-staging","tag-stomach-cancer-stages","tag-stomach-cancer-symptoms","tag-tnm-staging","tag-when-to-worry-about-stomach-cancer"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}