What are the symptoms of tumors located in the abdominal cavity?

Clinical symptoms of tumors located in the abdominal cavity appear very late and are relatively difficult to diagnose. We are talking here primarily about colorectal cancer (especially when it is located in the right part of the colon), pancreatic cancer or liver cancer. What are the symptoms of the most common abdominal cancers? What should we know about this important topic?

Canceris one of the most commoncauses of death in the world . They often do not give anysymptomsfor a long time, which is why it is so important to undergo preventive tests for cancer. The progressive neoplastic disease requires constant, professional specialist care. Find out the symptoms of the individualtumors located in the abdominal cavity .

Colorectal cancer - what is this cancer?

Colorectal cancer is a malignant neoplasm of the gastrointestinal tract, most often located in the area of ​​ rectum . This malignant tumor has long been in the top three malignant neoplastic diseases that most often affect Polish women and Poles. Colorectal cancer in90% of casesdevelops from adenomas (adenomatous polyps).

Risk factors that favor the development of this disease include :

• old age;
• smoking;
• family history of colorectal cancer;
• drinking large amounts of alcohol;
• low physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;
• obesity (BMI>30);
• some chronic diseases affecting the digestive tract, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (UC).

Colorectal cancer - symptoms

Symptoms of a malignant tumor of the large intestine depend primarily on itslocation within the large intestine . In the case where the tumor isin the right half of the colon , i.e. in its initial part, we usually deal with:

• abdominal pain in this area;
• anemia resulting from occult bleeding.

In this case, the bleeding cannot be seen directly duringdefecation , which maydelay diagnosis . For this reason,unexplained anemia, especially inelderly patientrequiresincreased oncological vigilanceand may be an indication for a colonoscopy.

If the cancer is locatedin the left (or distal) part of the colon , we may be dealing withclinical symptomssuch as:

• change in bowel habits (both diarrhea and constipation can occur);
• overt lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

It is worth mentioning that a tumor located in the lower part of the rectum may present:

• narrow stools - these stools are called pencil-shaped stools, their shape is due to the narrowing of the rectum caused by the tumor;
• feeling of pressure on the stool;
• gastrointestinal obstruction.

Neoplastic tumors that are located in the lower part of the rectum can be identified by fingerprinting through the anus (i.e. rectal examination). Therefore, when the patient reports the presence of blood in the stool or bleeding from the rectum, this examination should be absolutely performed.

Pancreatic cancer - symptoms

Pancreatic cancer can develop very insidiously, as the initial symptoms of pancreatic cancer are extremely non-specific and hard to associate with cancer. The first symptoms of pancreatic cancer are abdominal discomfort and gas.

Pancreatic cancer is an exceptionallymalignant neoplasmthatdevelops rapidly . Other symptoms that appear over the course of the disease include:

• diarrhea;
• nausea and sometimes vomiting;
• lack of appetite, and later even anorexia;
• weight loss;
• weakness, exhaustion;
• cachexia (in advanced stages of the disease);
• yellowing of the skin - caused by compression of the common bile duct by a tumor located in the head of the pancreas. Metastatic tumors located in the liver can also press on the bile ducts;
• epigastric pain;
• pain in the back, and sometimes in the shoulders;
• itchy skin;
• Courvasier symptom - a characteristic symptom of pancreatic cancer, which consists in the presence of an enlarged, palpable and painless gall bladder. This symptom can be seen during palpation of the abdominal cavity of the patient;
• enlargement of the liver and spleen;
• gastrointestinal bleeding;
• depressed mood, even depression;
• enlargement of the abdominal circumference, caused by the presence of an excessive amount of fluid in the peritoneal cavity.

Stomach cancer - clinical symptoms

As with pancreatic cancer, the first symptoms of stomach cancer are hard to spot. The initial symptoms of this malignant tumor are:

• epigastric discomfort;
• bounce;
• abdominal distension.

In more advanced stages of the disease, clinical symptoms such as:

• loss of appetite as well as a quick feeling of fullness;
• weight loss;
• difficulty swallowing and pain when swallowing;
• nausea, vomiting;
• tarry stools - resulting from upper gastrointestinal bleeding;
• weakness resulting from anemia (blood loss);
• presence of a tumor in the epigastrium - it can be located by palpation of the abdominal cavity in advanced forms of the disease;
• sometimes enlargement of the lymph node in the left supraclavicular fossa - this node is called the Virchow node.

Liver cancer - symptoms

In the case of hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the most common malignant neoplasm of the liver, the following clinical symptoms are present:

• pain in the right hypochondrium;
• abdominal enlargement;
• jaundice (yellowing of the patient's skin);
• fever;
• swelling in the lower limbs.

The symptoms of this malignant neoplasmusually appear only when the disease isadvanced . Hepatocellular carcinoma can also bethe cause of bleeding into the peritoneal cavity.

Esophageal cancer - symptoms

In the case of malignant cancer of the esophagus, clinical symptoms such as:

• difficulty in swallowing - that is, in the medical term, dysphagia. Dysphagia initially occurs when consuming solid foods, and with the duration of the disease - also when consuming liquid foods;
• feeling pain when swallowing - i.e. odynophagy;
• shortness of breath - when the tumor compresses the trachea adjacent to the esophagus;
• cough;
• hoarseness - may result from infiltration of nerves that innervate the larynx;
• retrosternal pain, and sometimes pain radiating to the spine.

When esophageal cancer is at an advanced stage, symptoms such as:

• lymph nodes enlargement - especially in the left area above the collarbone - this node is called Virchow's node;
• liver enlargement (the liver may have metastases of esophageal cancer);
• malnutrition,resulting from difficult food intake due to dysphagia and odynophagia;
• fever - results from tumor decay;
• weight loss.

Anal cancer - symptoms of the disease

Rectal cancer is a less common type of cancer, which can be found both in the anal canal and at the anal margin. The symptoms of this oncological disease include :

• rectal bleeding;
• presence of a palpable lump during rectal examination with a finger;
• soreness around the anus;
• leakage of mucous discharge from the anus;
• feeling of incomplete bowel movement;
• itching around the anus;
• painful stool pressure and pain during defecation;
• faecal and gas incontinence;
• enlargement of inguinal lymph nodes.

Gallbladder cancer - symptoms of the disease

Clinical symptoms of gallbladder cancer appear very late. They mainly include:

• pain in the right hypochondrium that may radiate to the interscapular area and to the right side of the spine;
• jaundice;
• itchy skin;
• nausea and vomiting;
• loss of appetite, weight loss as well as malnutrition.

In advanced stages, on palpation of the abdominal cavity, the doctor may feel a tumor in the right subcostal area.

To sum up, if you experience any symptoms that do not disappear despite symptomatic treatment, you should consult a doctor who will recommend further treatment. Abdominal neoplasms are not diagnosed solely on the basis of clinical symptoms, as more specialized examinations are necessary.

It is not worth underestimating the bleeding into the lower gastrointestinal tract, or the presence of blood in the stool. Of course, it may result from relatively harmless diseases, but the oncological basis of such symptoms should always be ruled out.