Gastric ulcers and gastric cancer are two completely different diseases, but there are many similarities in their manifestations, so that many patients with early gastric cancer think they are gastric ulcers and neglect to seek medical attention, while some patients with gastric ulcers are too nervous about being gastric cancer. In fact, there are some differences between the two in terms of presentation.
Stomach manifestations
Gastric ulcers
- More commonly seen in young adults, about 90% of patients have epigastric pain that comes in cycles, usually lasting a few days, weeks, or even months at a time, but with some time between episodes, followed by another episode that often lasts for years.
- The pain of gastric ulcers is mostly closely related to diet, usually starting half an hour after a meal with a burning sensation that lasts a few hours and then gradually disappears until it reappears after the next meal.
- The pain is usually relieved by taking alkaline medications [e.g. Sodium Bicarbonate, Aluminium Hydroxide].
Stomach cancer
- More commonly seen in people over 40 years of age, early-stage gastric cancer usually has no obvious discomfort, but once symptoms such as upper abdominal pain appear, it tends to get progressively worse and progresses more rapidly.
- The pain of gastric cancer is not regular and is not related to meals, but may worsen or decrease after meals.
- The nature of pain in gastric cancer is also variable, and may be dull or sharp, or may be a feeling of fullness, and the pain is usually worse in advanced stages, mostly persistent, and cannot be relieved even with alkaline medications.
General condition
- Gastric ulcer: The general condition of the patient is usually good, with a fair appetite and rarely anemia and generalized lymph node enlargement.
- Gastric cancer: Patients often have a poor appetite, especially in the advanced stage, and may show progressive generalized wasting, mostly with anemia, often with enlarged lymph nodes felt on the left clavicle, and sometimes with swelling in the upper abdomen.
In conclusion, gastric ulcer and gastric cancer are two completely different diseases in nature, and because of the many similarities in their manifestations, it is very easy for patients to misjudge them. Therefore, it is important not to make predictions based on symptoms alone, but to seek early diagnosis when you find discomfort, and doctors will usually use imaging and gastroscopic biopsy to make a diagnosis.