What is the difference between cardia cancer and gastric cancer? What are the symptoms of cardia cancer and gastric cancer?

The site of onset of cardia cancer is about two centimeters below the junction of the stomach and esophagus. It is a highly malignant disease with the highest mortality rate among gastrointestinal cancers. Although the site of onset of cardia cancer is located at the lower end of the stomach, it is not a type of gastric cancer. Many people confuse these two diseases. What is the difference between cardia cancer and gastric cancer?

1. Fundamentally different in nature

First of all, the nature of cardiac cancer and gastric cancer is different. Gastric cancer is mainly adenocarcinoma, while cardiac cancer is mainly squamous cell carcinoma.

Second, the site of disease is different

Cardiac cancer occurs at the upper opening of the stomach, or at the junction of the esophagus and stomach, but gastric cancer occurs inside the stomach, so their locations are fundamentally different.

3. Different symptoms

1. Different early manifestations: There are no obvious symptoms in the early stage of cardia cancer. There may be occasional discomfort in the upper abdomen, dull pain, and a slight feeling of fullness, but these are not symptoms of gastric cancer. They are only similar to gastritis or gastric ulcers. At the same time, after the onset of cardia cancer, the stool will become black, which is caused by the infiltration and bleeding of cancer cells in the digestive tract, but gastric cancer does not have such symptoms.

2. Different esophageal obstruction: After the onset of cardia cancer, the tumor will block the esophagus, making it impossible for the patient to eat normally and swallowing will be difficult, but gastric cancer generally does not have such symptoms. Unless the tumor in the gastric cancer site is very large and must grow in the upper or lower opening of the stomach, it may cause difficulty in eating.

4. Pain location is different

The pain of cardia cancer is usually behind the sternum or at the shoulder blade, and the pain is usually persistent and dull. If cardia cancer causes esophageal mediastinitis, the pain will also appear in the upper abdomen, but the pain of gastric cancer is usually at the site of onset, that is, inside the stomach.

5. Different symptoms

Generally, after suffering from cardia cancer, the patient will vomit mucus all the time. If too much mucus accumulates in the esophagus, it can cause reflux, leading to aspiration pneumonia. However, the signal of gastric cancer is unexplained weight loss and poor spirits, and this situation is progressive.