Stomach cancer symptoms and risk factors

What are the symptoms?

Stomach cancer may not cause symptoms in the early stages. If there are symptoms, they can include:

• unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
• difficulty swallowing
• indigestion – pain or burning feeling in the abdomen (heartburn), frequent burping, or stomach acid coming back up into the oesophagus (reflux)
• feeling sick and/or vomiting more often, with no apparent cause
• abdominal (belly) pain
• feeling full after eating, even a small amount
• swelling of the abdomen or feeling bloated
• unexplained tiredness
• vomit that has blood in it
• black or bloody faeces (stools or poo).

Not everyone with these symptoms has stomach cancer. If you have ongoing symptoms, see your general practitioner (GP).

What are the risk factors?

The exact causes of stomach cancer are not known. Below are some risk factors, but most people with these risk factors do not develop stomach cancer:

• being over 60 years
• infection of the stomach with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
• smoking tobacco
• low red blood cell levels related to a condition called pernicious anaemia
• a family history of stomach cancer
• having an inherited genetic condition such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), Lynch syndrome, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC), or gastric adenocarcinoma and proximal polyposis of the stomach (GAPPS)
• inflammation of the stomach (chronic gastritis)
• being overweight or obese
• drinking alcohol
• eating a diet high in salt-preserved foods (e.g. processed meats, pickled vegetables)
• having part of the stomach removed for a  non-cancerous condition.