Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer starts in the stomach lining. Early disease may cause few clear symptoms, while persistent upper-digestive symptoms, unexplained weight loss or bleeding require investigation rather than self-treatment for indigestion.
Key takeaways
- Symptoms overlap with ulcers and reflux, so diagnosis requires endoscopy and biopsy rather than symptoms alone.
- Treatment is guided by stage, whether surgery is possible and molecular features of the tumour.
- Medicines are commonly used in combinations and need oncology supervision, monitoring and supportive care.
The catalogue cannot diagnose cancer or define a regimen; each option depends on pathology, staging, biomarkers and the person’s fitness for treatment.
How is gastric cancer diagnosed?
Endoscopy allows suspicious areas to be seen and biopsied. Imaging then helps establish whether disease is localised or has spread. Persistent early fullness, swallowing difficulty, vomiting, anaemia or weight loss may prompt investigation, but none is specific enough to confirm cancer.
What determines treatment?
Surgery may be central for resectable disease. Systemic treatment can be used around surgery or when cancer cannot be removed. Capecitabine is one component of some chemotherapy regimens; targeted therapy or immunotherapy may be considered when tumour testing supports it. Planning and adverse-effect management belong with an oncology support team.
When to seek urgent care
Seek urgent help for vomiting blood, black tarry stools, fainting, severe weakness, inability to keep fluids down, sudden severe abdominal pain or signs of a serious treatment reaction such as fever with marked unwellness.