Symptoms that mimic acidity
Early stomach cancer hides behind ordinary indigestion. Red flags are indigestion that persists despite treatment, feeling full quickly, unexplained weight loss, and difficulty swallowing for tumours near the food pipe. Black stools or vomiting blood are late signs. Persistent symptoms over age 55, or any alarm feature at any age, need an endoscopy.
- Persistent indigestion or heartburn not settling with treatment
- Early satiety and loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Difficulty swallowing, black stools, or vomiting blood
Diagnosis and staging
Gastroscopy with biopsy makes the diagnosis. CT staging, often with staging laparoscopy, checks for spread, and the case is planned in a tumour board. Most patients beyond the earliest stage receive chemotherapy before and after surgery.
Gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection
Depending on the tumour's position, part (subtotal) or all (total) of the stomach is removed with a D2 lymph node dissection — the thorough node clearance that defines quality in gastric cancer surgery. The food passage is reconstructed with a join to the small intestine, and eating is retrained gradually.
- D2 lymphadenectomy — the oncological standard
- Minimally invasive approach where appropriate
- Feeding jejunostomy for nutrition when the whole stomach is removed
- Structured dietetic support for life after gastrectomy
Eating after stomach surgery
After a total gastrectomy you eat small, frequent meals and take vitamin B12 for life. Most patients adapt well over three to six months with dietetic guidance — this is planned for, not improvised, from day one.
Common questions
- Does H. pylori infection cause stomach cancer?
- It is the strongest known risk factor. Treating the infection reduces risk, which is why it is tested for and eradicated when found.
- Can you live a normal life without a stomach?
- Yes. The small intestine adapts to take over. Meals become smaller and more frequent, B12 injections are needed lifelong, and most people return to normal weight and activity within months.
- Is surgery always needed for stomach cancer?
- For localised disease, surgery is the only curative treatment and is almost always central. Very early tumours confined to the innermost layer can sometimes be removed endoscopically.
This page is general education, reviewed by Dr. Ishaan Allahabadi, MCh Surgical Oncology (Edge Hill, UK) · MS Surgery · MBBS (Accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England). It is not a substitute for individual medical advice. Treatment decisions are made after reviewing your imaging and pathology, in a multidisciplinary tumour board.