Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology Program

Stomach Cancer

What Is Stomach Cancer? | Risk Factors | Symptoms and Diagnosis | Stages and Treatment | About Clinical Trials | Greenebaum Cancer Center

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Sometimes stomach cancer can grow very large before it causes symptoms. In the early stages of cancer of the stomach, a patient may have indigestion and stomach discomfort, a bloated feeling after eating, mild nausea, loss of appetite, or heartburn.

Since these symptoms are similar to symptoms caused by stomach viruses and ulcers, often people will ignore or misdiagnose them.

In more advanced stages, cancer of the stomach may cause blood in the stool, vomiting, weight loss, or pain in the stomach.

If a patient has symptoms of a stomach disorder, his or her doctor will usually order an upper gastrointestinal X-ray (also called an upper GI series).

For this examination, the patient drinks a liquid containing barium, which makes the stomach easier to see in the X-ray. The doctor looks for any abnormal areas in the stomach. This test is usually performed in a doctor's office or in a hospital radiology department.

The doctor may also look inside the stomach with a thin, lighted tube called a gastroscope. This procedure, called a gastroscopy (or endoscopy), finds most cancers of the stomach. For this test, the gastroscope is inserted through the mouth and guided into the stomach. The doctor may spray a local anesthetic (a drug that causes loss of feeling for a short period of time) into the patient"s throat or give the patient other medicine before the test to eliminate pain and reduce discomfort.

If the doctor sees tissue that is not normal, he or she may cut out a small piece so it can be examined under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. This procedure, called a biopsy, is the only way to confirm the presence of cancer cells. It is usually done during the gastroscopy.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the stomach or if it has spread to other places) and the patient's general state of health. Stomach cancer is curable if it is found before it has spread. Once it has spread to the lymph nodes or other organs, however, it is much more difficult to treat.


This page was last updated on: March 3, 2008.

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