Stomach cancer is also referred to as gastric cancer. This is one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose because often people will not have any symptoms of the disease during the early stages. Stomach cancer is caused by cancerous cells that form within the lining of the stomach.
The National Cancer Institute states only about 1.5 percent of new cancer cases in the United States are stomach cancer. Even though stomach cancer is somewhat rare when compared to many other cancer types, the biggest danger of this type of cancer is that it is difficult to diagnose. Many people who have stomach cancer are not diagnosed with the disease until it has spread into other areas of the body.
Since stomach cancer is difficult to diagnose, it is important to know the early symptoms of the disease so treatment can begin early and be more successful. While many people with stomach cancer do not have any symptoms in the early stages, it is still important to know some of the signs that stomach cancer is developing so these issues can be discussed with your doctor.
Here are 12 symptoms of stomach cancer to watch out for.
1. Mild Abdominal Discomfort
As mentioned, symptoms of stomach cancer can be quite vague. One of the reasons is because people get upset stomachs all the time. This is a normal occurrence and typically does not mean anything is wrong. After all, there are a lot of things that go through the stomach that may cause a bit of discomfort.
One of the early signs of stomach cancer is discomfort in the upper abdomen. If you are consistently feeling pain or discomfort in the upper area of your abdomen, it is worth getting it checked out.
