From the Guidelines
Gastric cancer symptoms can be vague and nonspecific, often including dysphagia, asthenia, indigestion, vomiting, weight loss, early satiety, and/or iron deficiency anemia, as reported in the most recent study 1. These symptoms can be easily overlooked, contributing to delayed diagnosis. As the disease progresses, more concerning symptoms develop, such as unexplained weight loss, persistent nausea and vomiting, difficulty swallowing, blood in stool, and severe abdominal pain. Some patients may also experience fatigue due to anemia from chronic bleeding. The symptoms occur because the cancer disrupts normal stomach function, causes inflammation, and may ulcerate the stomach lining leading to bleeding. According to the latest guidelines 1, endoscopic examination and forceps biopsies are the gold standard method for diagnosing gastric cancer, and multiple biopsies should be carried out to provide adequately sized material for histological and molecular interpretation. Key symptoms to look out for include:
- Dysphagia
- Asthenia
- Indigestion
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- Early satiety
- Iron deficiency anemia It is essential for individuals experiencing persistent digestive symptoms lasting more than two weeks, especially those over 50 or with risk factors like family history of gastric cancer, H. pylori infection, or chronic gastritis, to consult a healthcare provider promptly, as early detection significantly improves treatment outcomes for gastric cancer 1.
From the Research
Gastric Cancer Symptoms
- The most common symptoms of gastric cancer at initial diagnosis are weight loss and persistent abdominal pain 2
- Early gastric cancer is often asymptomatic, leading to frequent delays in diagnosis 2
Diagnosis and Staging
- The diagnosis of gastric cancer typically involves a combination of endoscopy, biopsy, and imaging studies 2
- Endoscopic ultrasonography is a useful tool for preoperative staging 3
- Emerging adjunct technologies such as image-enhanced endoscopy and magnification endoscopy aid in early cancer detection 3
Treatment Options
- Treatment options for advanced gastric cancer include surgery and chemotherapy 2
- The first line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer consists of doublet therapy with a combination of platinum and fluoropyrimidines 2
- Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody, is used in the treatment of human epidermal growth factor 2 positive gastric cancers 2, 4
- Antiangiogenic agents and immunotherapy are also useful in the treatment of gastric cancer 2
- Chemotherapy improves survival in comparison to best supportive care, and combination chemotherapy improves survival compared to single-agent chemotherapy 4
Prognosis
- The combination of computed tomography and endoscopy provides a better prognostic tool than computed tomography alone in metastatic gastric cancer patients treated with chemotherapy 5
- The use of endoscopy together with computed tomography defines patients into four groups with distinct prognoses according to chemotherapy response 5