Inventory of extragastric symptoms of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is mainly manifested by digestive tract symptoms, such as upper abdominal distension and pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, etc. However, some gastric cancer patients have mainly "extragastric" symptoms, such as anemia, paracancer syndrome (thrombophlebitis, dermatomyositis, etc.). You should be vigilant.

Otherwise, the disease may be delayed and the best time for treatment may be missed.

So what are the main “extragastric manifestations” of gastric cancer?

1. Anemia: Long-term small amount of bleeding from the ulcer surface of gastric cancer, coupled with the decreased absorption function of the stomach, will lead to iron deficiency anemia. Patients often feel tired and fatigued, and have black blood in their stools. Some ulcer-type gastric cancers may cause vomiting of blood in severe cases.

2. Paracancer syndrome: It is a manifestation of blood, skin, nerve, kidney, endocrine and other system diseases that may occur in gastric cancer patients. The main manifestations include abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, alternating diarrhea and constipation, ascites, chest pain, pleural effusion, dizziness, anemia, swelling of both lower limbs, jaundice, skin purpura, etc.

3. Thrombophlebitis: This disease often recurs, manifested as pale limbs, coldness, soreness, fatigue, intermittent claudication, and some patients also feel numbness and tingling in the limbs.

4. Gastric cancer metastasis: The main manifestation is distant metastasis to organs. For example, liver metastasis: Common in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and other liver disease symptoms, such as liver discomfort, jaundice, diarrhea, etc., generally without digestive tract symptoms; ovarian metastasis: Clinical manifestations are acute abdominal pain, irregular menstruation, lower abdominal mass, etc., mostly occurring in premenopausal or young women.

To sum up, once patients have the above symptoms, they should not just stay on the surface of the symptoms, but must pay attention to these abnormal "extra-gastric" manifestations and go to a specialized cancer hospital for a detailed examination as soon as possible to rule out the possibility of gastric cancer.