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Diagnosis of Stomach Cancer


A diagnosis of stomach cancer often gets delayed as in many cases the symptoms may not become evident until the disease progresses. Additionally symptoms can also be confused for other less serious digestive ailments also leading to a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis.

To confirm the diagnosis, the following tests for stomach cancers may be prescribed:

  • Physical exam to check for swollen lymph nodes and abdominal swelling
  • Complete blood count (CBC) to check for anemia
  • Endoscopy to inspect the stomach closely
  • Biopsy to check stomach tissue for stomach cells
  • Stool test to check for blood in the stools
  • Series of test on the Upper GI tract

Once the diagnosis of stomach cancer is confirmed, your doctor will attempt to stage the disease. Determining how deeply the tumor has invaded the walls of the stomach, whether the nearby tissues have been affected and if the cancer has spread to nearby parts of the body, gives the doctor an idea of what stage or metastasis the disease has reached.

To check if and where the stomach cancer has spread, you may be required to undergo:

  • Chest x-rays
  • CT scans of various organs
  • Endoscopic ultrasound of the stomach and other organs
  • Abdominal laparoscopy

Signs & Symptoms
Prognosis
References
  1. Chia-Jung Chiang, Hoda Kadouh, Kequan Zhou, Phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of gooseberry as affected by in vitro digestion, LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 51, Issue 2, May 2013, Pages 417-422, ISSN 0023-6438, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2012.11.014.
  2. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0023643812004628)