Stomach cancer - Symptoms of stomach cancer
- Introduction
- Symptoms of stomach cancer
- Causes of stomach cancer
- How stomach cancer is diagnosed
- Treating stomach cancer
- Living with stomach cancer
- "It hadn't occurred to me there could be anything else wrong"
- Medicine-guides
- Prevention
Many symptoms of stomach cancer are similar to less serious conditions, so it can be difficult to recognise in the early stages.
Early stage symptoms include:
- persistent indigestion
- trapped wind and frequent burping
- heartburn
- feeling full very quickly when eating
- feeling bloated after eating
- feeling sick
- pain in your stomach or breastbone (sternum)
- difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- vomiting (which may be streaked with blood), although this is uncommon in the early stages
Advanced stomach cancer
Symptoms of more advanced stomach cancer include:
- blood in your stools, or black stools
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- tiredness
- lumpiness and swelling in your stomach (caused by a build-up of fluid)
- anaemia (a reduction in red blood cells that can cause you to feel tired and out of breath)
- yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
When to seek medical help
Stomach cancer is usually easier to treat if it's diagnosed early, so you should see your GP as soon as possible if you notice any of the above symptoms.
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