Common symptoms of stomach cancer;
•Heartburn
•Indigestion
•Pain or vague discomfort in the abdomen (often above the navel)
•Bloating of the stomach after eating
•Nausea
•Lack of appetite
•Diarrhea
•Constipation
•Fatigue, weakness
•Blood in the stool or vomit
•Unexplained weight loss
•Vomiting
•Stomach pain
In the early stages, symptoms are vague and easily ignored. Early symptoms may mimic peptic ulcer disease, with burning abdominal pain. Therefore, peptic ulcer symptoms that do not resolve with treatment may indicate stomach cancer. The person may notice a feeling of fullness after a small meal (early satiety).
Weight loss or weakness usually results from difficulty in eating or from an inability to absorb some vitamins and minerals. Anemia, characterized by fatigue, weakness, and light-headedness, may result from very gradual bleeding that causes no other symptoms, from malabsorption of vitamin B12 (a vitamin needed for red blood cell formation), or from malabsorption of iron (a mineral needed for red blood cell formation) due to a lack of stomach acid. Uncommonly, a person may vomit large amounts of blood (hematemesis) or pass black tarry stools (melena). When adenocarcinoma is advanced, a doctor may be able to feel a mass when pressing on the abdomen.
Even in the early stages, a small adenocarcinoma may spread (metastasize) to distant sites. The spread of the tumor may cause liver -, a yellowish discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice), fluid accumulation and swelling in the abdominal cavity (ascites), and cancerous skin nodules. The spreading cancer also may weaken bones, leading to bone fractures.
