The symptoms of stomach cancer are similar to the symptoms of a hiatal hernia or peptic ulcer , namely a vague pain aggravated by food, nausea, heartburn and indigestion. These symptoms are often thought to be due to stress and are treated with antacids or H-2 blockers. Unfortunately, the temporary relief this treatment brings often delays the tests that could diagnose cancer.
Loss of appetite, feelings of fullness after even a small meal and weight loss are common (upper abdominal pain, vomiting after meals and weight loss are seen in 80 to 90 percent of cases). There may also be mild anemia , weakness, gastrointestinal bleeding (40 percent of cases) and vomiting of blood. Both vomiting blood and rectal bleeding are seen in peptic ulcer disease, esophageal varices (varicose veins in the esophagus that grow and burst, a disease common in drinkers) and occasionally leiomyosarcomas.
