Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is typically caused by mutated cells on the upper stomach lining. It is the fifth most common cancer and third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

Abdominal pain can stem from a myriad of issues. Previously, I wrote about the difference between gastric pain and a stomach ulcer, in which the latter can stem from recurring gastric pain or gastritis if left untreated. Recently, I’ve been receiving a number of younger patients with bad abdominal pain and many were not able to pinpoint what exactly that pain was — though several of them thought it was gastric pain or pain caused by gas. After some tests, we found out what they were experiencing was actually appendix pain, or appendicitis.

Many stomach conditions often share the same symptoms — a dull or gnawing, burning pain in the upper part of the belly, nausea, heartburn and so on. More often than not, we’re inclined to link our abdominal pain with stomach flu or gastric pain, partly because our population is used to having recurring gastric pain attacks. That and no one would actually suspect they have a stomach ulcer — at least for the majority of my patients when I give them a diagnosis.

I’ve been asked multiple times, “Doc, is it bad if I always get gastric pain? Is having frequent gastric pain normal?” Well, the answer is no. You might think the answer to that is obvious, but many are actually unaware of the health implications frequent gastric pain brings. As a general surgeon in Singapore, I’ve noticed that the cases of gastric pain are rising, and I can only credit that to our busy lifestyles and irregular eating habits.

In medical terms, gastric pain is used to describe upper abdominal pain or pain just right above the belly button and below the ribs. It is often confused with stomach pain. While most pain experienced in the upper abdomen indeed arises from the stomach, some of the pain may originate from other organs like the bile duct, small intestine, gallbladder, pancreas or liver. In such cases, it may signal something more serious, such as kidney stones or the presence of a stomach ulcer.

Do you often experience abdominal pain? Specifically, pain that arises in the centre of your upper abdomen? You may be experiencing gastric pain, a sort of pain that can range from a dull ache to a throbbing pain. While gastric pain is quite common in Singapore due to our stressful lives and tendency to have irregular meals, this stomach condition may be a sign of more serious health issues like stomach cancer and gallstone disease.