Stomach Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr.Parveen Jain, 4 mins read

Cancer of the stomach occurs when the cancerous cells grow within the stomach lining. It is also known as gastric cancer. It can happen in any part of the stomach including fundus/body/pylorus and antrum.

Symptoms

Stomach cancer symptoms can vary. However, many patients don’t notice any symptoms in earlier stages. As a result, it often goes undiagnosed many times and spreads to other body parts. 

• But some patients experience a few symptoms, such as:
• Nausea
• Fatigue
  
• Vomiting
  
• Heartburn
  
• Early satiety
  
• Constant bloating
  
• Stools that look black
  
• Pain in the chest bone
  
• Difficulty in swallowing
  
• Indigestion and burping
  
• Unexplained weight loss
  
• Persistent abdominal pain
  
• Nausea and vomiting, which may contain blood
  

Causes

There’s no clear evidence about the exact causes of stomach cancer. But certain factors may increase the risk of developing gastric cancer. These factors include some conditions and diseases, such as:

• Abnormal growth of tissues in the stomach lining, also known as stomach polyps.
• Inherited genetic syndromes, like Li-Fraumeni syndrome and Lynch syndrome.
  
• A stomach infection caused by H. pylori, which may lead to ulcers.
  
• Growth of tumours (polyps) in another part of the digestive system.
  

In addition, you are at risk of stomach cancer if you:

• Drink a lot of alcohol
• Eat red meat frequently
• Rarely or never eat fruit
• Don’t get enough exercise
• Consume a lot of processed foods
• Consume food that is not cooked properly

Stomach cancer is seen more commonly in people who:

• Smoke
• Are overweight
• Are older than 60 years of age
• Have a family history of the disease
• Are South American, Eastern European descent and Asian (especially Korean and Japanese)

However, not all individuals with these risk factors get stomach cancer. There is more research needed to know the exact cause.

Gastric cancer starts when something hurts the inner lining of the stomach. This leads to changes in the DNA of the cells, which causes abnormal and uncontrollable growth of cells within the stomach lining. This results in the formation of a mass called a tumour. 

These cancer cells invade and destroy nearby healthy cells. Over time, these cells can grow deeper into the stomach wall. These cancerous cells can spread to other body parts in the advanced stage. This is known as metastasis.

Diagnosis

Your doctor begins the stomach cancer diagnostic work-up by asking some questions about symptoms and medical history. If he suspects anything unusual, he may suggest a few tests.

• Upper endoscopy: In this test, the doctor inserts a thin tube equipped with a tiny camera at its tip (endoscope) into the patient’s stomach through the mouth. Small surgical tools can be passed through this tube. This allows the doctor to take a tissue sample, which is then sent for biopsy.
• Endoscopic ultrasound: It is done to identify the stage of cancer. A doctor uses an endoscope equipped with an ultrasound probe on its tip. This helps the doctor to take inside pictures of the stomach.
• Radiological tests:Your doctor can recommend a few radiological tests, like MRI, CT scan and barium swallow. In the barium swallow test, you will be asked to drink a substance that makes the stomach lining clearer on an X-ray. The doctor may also suggest a PET scan to know how much the cancer has spread.
• Laparoscopy:It is a type of surgery done to assess cancer spread. During this procedure, a surgeon makes small cuts in your abdomen and inserts a tiny camera to see the organ more clearly.
• Blood tests:This helps to know how well the organs are functioning. If the reports show that the organ is not performing appropriately, it may be a sign that cancer has spread beyond its origin. 

In addition to the cancer diagnosis, staging is also done. This helps to know how much cancer has grown and spread. Staging ranges from 0 to IV. Stage 0 means cancer has not spread beyond the stomach lining, whereas stage IV refers to cancer that has reached other body parts. 

Treatment

Treatment of stomach cancer depends on several factors, including the severity and the person’s overall well-being. The following are the treatment options:

• Chemotherapy: This specialised treatment uses drugs to destroy rapidly growing cells. It is also helpful in shrinking the tumour size before surgery or killing the remaining cells post-surgery. It is considered a primary treatment for stomach cancer that has spread to distant places in the body.
• Surgery: It is considered the Difitreatment for stomach cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body. The following are the two primary types of surgical treatment for gastric cancer:
• Endoscopic resection: The doctor inserts an endoscope into the stomach through the throat and removes the cancer. This method is usually used in early-stage stomach cancer. 
• Gastrectomy: A part or complete stomach is removed in this procedure. Removing the stomach doesn't mean you’ll be unable to digest the food. But you need to make some changes in your lifestyle after the procedure. This procedure stops the cancer spread and prevents recurrence. 
• Radiation therapy: This type of treatment is usually recommended when the stomach cancer has reached an advanced stage. In this treatment, the doctor uses radioactive rays to target and kill cancerous cells. Radiation therapy is also used to reduce the tumour size before surgery.
• Immunotherapy: This therapy includes the use of medicines that stimulate the body’s immune cells to attack cancer cells.
• Targeted medicines: These medications attack specific proteins produced by cancerous cells. Your doctor will administer the medicines through an intravenous (IV) infusion.

Also, Read: Types of Lung Cancer: Common & Rare