Symptoms

It is rather hard to distinguish the turning-point from chronic irritation, inflammation, and ulceration to a state of malignancy. Those who have deranged digestion, and continue to abuse the stomach, bringing on symptoms such as have been described under gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric erosions, chronic gastritis, etc., should not be surprised if their disease degenerates into malignancy. Nature is very kind to those who are unfortunate in developing cancer; for she gives a great deal of warning. Cancer of the stomach will not develop without the patient being conscious of having abused the organ for months, and sometimes for years, preceding, No one has any assurance that a small stomach derangement, repeated and forced to recur by imprudence in eating, may not eventually end in cancer. Hence the early symptoms of cancer may be looked upon as all those symptoms that are peculiar to stomach derangements.

When the disease has developed to the point where the stomach is hindered in emptying itself, and there is sufficient retention to create vomiting, it will be necessary to distinguish between a simple thickening of the pylorus and a hardening from the development of cancerous tissue. There will be a sensitive point to the right of and just above the umbilicus, such as was described under ulceration. To distinguish between a simple disease and the malignant, the constitutional derangement must be watched; for in cancer there will be a cancerous cachexia, while in a simple closing from chronic inflammation the patient will not develop this particular symptom.

Treatment

The usual treatment for both is the same--namely, surgery; but surgery offers nothing in cancerous cases. It may be that there will be a little respite and a prolongation of life for a few weeks or a few months; but even this is doubtful.