The human stomach is a marvelous organ and the star component of the compound system of organs that makes up the gastrointestinal tract. It is through the stomach that the body begins the complex process of digestion, as well as the all-important processes of nutrient absorption and waste excretion.
The stomach itself can be said to be composed of several interconnected layers of muscle and other types of tissue. Gastric cancer, or stomach cancer as it is more commonly known, is a disease that develops when the cells that line the innermost layer of the stomach begin to grow uncontrollably into malignant tumors.
Stomach cancer is particularly insidious because of the ease with which it spreads into the deeper tissues of the stomach, out towards the outermost layers and, invariably, to other surrounding organs outside the stomach like the liver, spleen, pancreas.
Like most other types of cancer, when stomach cancer metastasizes, the patient’s quality of life, as well as their life expectancy, diminishes quite dramatically. Early detection of stomach tumors is, without a doubt, one of the most effective ways to improve the prognosis of affected patients. Therefore, it is crucial that we become familiar with all potential warning signs and symptoms of this disease
Here are the most common symptoms of stomach cancer:
1-Abdominal Pain
Perhaps the single most common symptom of stomach cancer is abdominal pain. However, it is crucial to understand that the vast majority of cancers that affect the gastrointestinal tract very rarely cause pain in their initial stages. Most tumors only cause mild discomfort at the beginning of the disease’s progression, and most of the time, this is misinterpreted as a sign of some other condition. Once a tumor has grown large enough that pain becomes apparent, it is usually a sign of advanced tumor growth.
Abdominal pain is a severe development and must be taken seriously; especially o when it is present in conjunction with the other symptoms listed below.