Relevance. Despite numerous efforts made in recent decades, the arsenal of cancer diagnostics is still significantly limited.The purpose of study: to analyze the problem of differential diagnosis of early stage stomach cancer and non-oncological diseases of the abdominal cavity.Materials and methods. In the course of the work, current literary sources of domestic and foreign authors on a given topic were analyzed.Results. The early stages of malignant neoplasms of the stomach are usually asymptomatic or accompanied by nonspecific signs, such as dyspepsia. Symptoms of the development of malignant tumors of the stomach at an early stage may be indistinguishable from the symptoms of benign dyspepsia, while the presence of established "alarming" symptoms may mean a progressive inoperable disease. However, the evidence supporting the use of "alarming" symptoms as selection criteria for endoscopy still remains contradictory, since the presence of "alarming" symptoms in the clinical picture is not always associated with the detection of malignant neoplasms, it is also worth noting that the overall prevalence of these symptoms in the population of patients suffering from dyspeptic disorders is high, while while the number of patients with a history of gastrointestinal cancer is relatively low.Conclusion. Despite the observed trend of decreasing morbidity and mortality, malignant neoplasms of the stomach remain an important part in the structure of oncological diseases. Many of the risk factors remain insufficiently studied and should be the subject of further research to achieve more specific, targeted preventive measures.