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Stomach cancer in the elderly
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
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Stomach cancer in the elderly is a malignant tumor arising from epithelial tissue. In Russia, stomach cancer consistently ranks first among other malignant neoplasms. Ukraine is one of the countries with a high incidence of stomach cancer - 36.9 per 100,000 population, while in the United States it is 5 per 1,000. Stomach cancer most often occurs in people over 60 years of age and is approximately 2 times more common in men, and after 80 years, gender differences in the incidence of the disease disappear.
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How does stomach cancer manifest itself in older people?
Stomach cancer in the elderly has extremely varied symptoms, they are similar to the signs of other stomach diseases, there is no characteristic symptom.
Complaints can be very diverse: from clearly defined disorders of the stomach function to undefined changes of a general nature. Stomach cancer in the elderly manifests itself in the following forms:
- predominance of local gastric symptoms: loss of appetite up to complete aversion to food, rapid satiety, symptoms of gastric discomfort, a feeling of heaviness in the epigastric region, belching, hiccups, nausea, vomiting, the presence of blood in vomit, bloating after eating, diarrhea or constipation;
- prevalence of general disorders (often the first signs of the disease): unmotivated general weakness, cachexia, increased fatigue, decreased performance, irritability, etc.;
- "masked" cancer, occurring with symptoms of other diseases;
- asymptomatic cancer.
The manifestation of symptoms is determined by the location of the cancer.
Thus, with cardiac localization, signs of impaired patency of the cardiac sphincter appear (difficulty swallowing, regurgitation); with tumor localization in the body of the stomach, dyspeptic symptoms predominate, and with cancer of the pyloric section, the patency of the outlet part of the stomach is impaired (feeling of fullness in the epigastric region, belching, vomiting, etc.).
During an objective examination, the following are of great diagnostic importance: weight loss in the patient, increased body temperature, enlarged regional lymph nodes on the left in the supraclavicular fossa, left armpit, and navel (at later stages). Abdominal palpation should be performed both in the horizontal and vertical patient positions. If a tumor is detected in the stomach area, it is necessary to exclude a neoplasm in neighboring organs - the liver, intestine, spleen, and pancreas. It should be remembered that the size of the tumor does not indicate its stage, especially since the tumor process progresses more slowly in older people than in young people, and metastasis occurs later.
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How is stomach cancer treated in older people?
Until now, the only method of radical treatment is surgical intervention. With timely surgery, 5-year survival rates approach 90%. However, if stomach cancer in the elderly is combined with cardiovascular pathology, respiratory system in elderly and senile people, the possibility of surgical treatment is limited and then only symptomatic therapy is performed. Of great importance is compliance with the deontological rules of communication with cancer patients, careful general care, timely recognition and effective treatment of bleeding, severe gastric obstruction, hyperthermia.
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