Frequent heartburn could be a sign of stomach cancer, suggests study

London: Stomach cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, because symptoms rarely show at the start, but frequent heartburn may be a sign of cancer, which is also known as gastric cancer.

According to Express.co.uk, stomach cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, because symptoms can be rarely detected at the start.

Other symptoms to watch out for include a painful tummy or sternum, feeling full after eating small amounts of food, and a burning sensation when swallowing.

Finding blood in your stool, persistent indigestion and feeling constantly out of breath are also signs of the condition.

Men, smokers, and people of Asian, South Africa or Belarusian descent are more likely to develop the condition and is most common in people over 75.

Eating a lot of salty foods and meats also increases the risk, as well as alcohol abuse and not exercising.

Cancer can begin in any part of the stomach, but treatment can change depending on where the tumour is, and how big it is.

The main treatments include chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, biotherapy and surgery.

Smaller tumours can be treated with surgery while larger ones may require combination of a number of treatments.