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What Are the Symptoms?

Patients with early stomach cancer may have very few, typically vague, symptoms. These can include indigestion and stomach discomfort, a bloated feeling after eating, mild nausea, loss of appetite, or heartburn. Peptic ulcers cause similar symptoms, and antacids or histamine blockers can give temporary relief, so patients may not recognize the problem as serious and put off seeing a doctor. A gastric tumor can grow very large before it causes other symptoms.

In more advanced stages, a patient may have the following symptoms:

• Discomfort in the upper or middle part of the abdomen.
• Blood in the stool (which appears as black, tarry stools).
• Vomiting or vomiting blood (may look like coffee grounds).
• Weight loss.
• Pain or bloating in the stomach after eating.
• Weakness or fatigue associated with mild anemia.