What can stomach cancer patients eat?

Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
Updated on February 09, 2025
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Gastric cancer refers to a malignant tumor that occurs in the gastric mucosal epithelium. Special attention should be paid to the diet, appropriately supplementing with multivitamins and consuming more fresh foods, such as fresh green vegetables and fruits. The diet should be diverse to avoid favoring certain foods overly and to ensure the intake of a variety of nutrients. It is also necessary to eat some meat for protein, avoid moldy foods, reduce the consumption of pickled, salted, smoked foods, and those rich in nitrites, and avoid the irritation from strong tea, coffee, and hard liquor. In addition to dietary measures, active treatment for early-stage gastric cancer can include endoscopic mucosal resection, or one may opt for a major gastric resection surgery or radiotherapy, while maintaining a good psychological state and sufficient sleep.

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Does early-stage stomach cancer hurt?

Symptoms of early-stage gastric cancer are generally not very obvious. Some patients may experience subtle symptoms resembling those of gastritis or gastrointestinal ulcers, including non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms such as discomfort and bloating in the upper abdomen, acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. In terms of pain, early-stage gastric cancer patients might only experience a sensation of bloating or mild tenderness in the upper abdomen. Severe pain is usually associated with late-stage gastric cancer, occurring when there is extensive abdominal metastasis or tumor progression, and the tumor is large enough to cause significant pain, requiring analgesics for treatment.

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Early manifestations of gastric cancer

The early signs of gastric cancer may include nausea, vomiting, or mild acid reflux, which are symptoms similar to those of gastritis, stomach ulcers, or duodenal ulcers. Therefore, initially, these patients may not take their condition seriously, assuming they might just have gastritis or peptic ulcers. These are some of the early manifestations of gastric cancer, and some patients may also experience discomfort and a feeling of fullness after eating.

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What can stomach cancer patients eat?

For patients with gastric cancer, there are no specific dietary taboos, except for avoiding foods that are too spicy or greasy, such as fried foods and barbecued items that are difficult to digest. Additionally, it is advisable to avoid carbonated and very cold foods that may irritate the stomach. The dietary approach should focus on eating smaller, more frequent meals that are easy to digest and bland. However, it is also important to ensure a balanced diet that includes both meat and vegetables to ensure adequate nutrition for the patient.

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What are the symptoms of gastric cancer?

The symptoms of gastric cancer patients are generally common gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, and discomfort and bloating in the upper abdomen, especially aggravated after eating. As the condition progresses, symptoms may include vomiting blood or black stools. When the cancer invades surrounding organs, clinical symptoms such as abdominal effusion, abdominal distension, and pain may occur. If the tumor is located near the pylorus and causes pyloric obstruction, symptoms of pyloric obstruction will appear, such as gastric retention, acid reflux, and vomiting of overnight food. Additionally, if the tumor bleeds, it may cause severe vomiting of blood. Therefore, different stages of the disease present different symptoms. If gastric cancer progresses to the late stage with metastasis to distant organs, clinical manifestations corresponding to the sites of metastasis will also appear.

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How to check for gastric cancer?

When clinical symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, gastric distension or upper abdominal pain, acid reflux, or hematemesis, as well as melena occur, it is necessary to consider the possibility of gastric cancer and seek timely medical attention. Completing a gastroscopy and obtaining a biopsy under gastroscopy are essential. If cancer cells are found, this is the most important diagnostic method for confirming gastric cancer. After the diagnosis of gastric cancer, further examinations like endoscopic ultrasound and CT scans of the chest and abdomen are required to assess the approximate stage of the patient and to decide the subsequent treatment plan.