Stomach Cancer Diagnosis

Stomach cancer usually affects cells of the stomach's interior lining. This type of stomach cancer, adenocarcinoma, is by far the most common, although it has become infrequent in the United States.

Symptoms

• These signs of adenocarcinoma would likely send you to the doctor's office: tiredness, heartburn and indigestion, stomach pain, vomiting, bloating, weight loss and feeling full despite eating little.

First Step

• Because other conditions can also cause these symptoms, the doctor will first rule out other illnesses. The doctor may then refer you to a gastroenterologist or an oncologist.

Endoscopy

• Doctors may search for cancer with a tiny camera, put in position by a tube passed into the stomach via the throat. This also allows biopsies of suspect areas.

Imaging Tests

• A CT scan or an X-ray that uses barium can also help doctors determine whether cancer is present.

Staging the Cancer

• Once cancer is confirmed, exploratory surgery can find whether it has spread into the abdomen. This surgery is likely to be laproscopic, performed through a few small incisions.