Stomach Cancer Treatment

The type of treatment is dependent chiefly on the size and location of the tumor, the staging of the disease and one’s overall health. Stomach cancer treatment may comprise of surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Several individuals might be given more than one form of treatment.

Cancer treatment is either local or systematic therapy.

• Local Therapy –Local therapies like surgery and radiation therapies help in removal and eradication of cancer that might be present in or in close proximity to the stomach. When the stomach cancer metastasizes or has proliferated to other areas of the body, then in such cases local therapy might be used for controlling the disease in those particular areas.
• Systemic Therapy – Systemic therapy like chemotherapy employ the use of drugs that enter the bloodstream and annihilate or curb the disease all through the body.

As cancer treatments mostly cause harm to the healthy tissues and cells, hence it is common to experience side effects that depend chiefly on the kind and the degree of treatment. Side effects might vary for each individual and from one treatment sitting to the other.

Prior to commencing on the treatment, the health care team would elucidate to the patient about the probable side effects and propose means to assist in managing them.

Surgery

Surgery is the widely prevalent form of stomach cancer treatment that is dependent on the extent of the disease. There are two key types of stomach cancer surgery available:

• Partial or subtotal gastrectomy – This involves removal of a section of the stomach that has the presence of the malignant form. The surgeon would additionally eliminate certain sections of the esophagus and section of the small intestine. Lymph nodes and tissues that lie in the adjacent areas might also be taken out.
• Total gastrectomy – The doctor totally removes the stomach, the adjacent lymph nodes, sections of the esophagus and small intestine, and other types of tissues located close to the tumor. The spleen might additionally be eliminated subsequent to which the esophagus is directly attached to the small intestine. By using the tissues from the intestine, the surgeon would make a new stomach.

There are bound to be concerns regarding eating following stomach cancer surgery. During the course of the surgery, a feeding tube is inserted within the small intestine that assists in providing adequate nutrition while the patient is recuperating.

The healing period would vary in each case. One might feel discomfort during the initial few days. Medications could assist in allaying the pain. Several people that have undergone stomach surgery might experience weariness or weakness for a while. Constipation or diarrhea is also reported following surgery. Such symptoms generally could be managed by varying the diet and medications. Any symptoms of bleeding, infection or other kinds of problems could also need to be treated.

Chemotherapy

This procedure involves the intravenous administration of anticancer drugs that after gaining entry within the bloodstream aid in killing the cancer cells and could majorly affect cancerous growth all through the body. However, certain drugs might be given orally.

Several persons undergo chemotherapy following surgery while in other situations radiation therapy might be administered alongside chemotherapy. The chemotherapy sessions might be given at a clinic in a hospital, the doctor’s office or at the patient’s residence. There might be others requiring hospitalization during treatment.

The side effects arising due to chemotherapy are dependent chiefly on the particular drugs and the dosage. The drugs are known to combat cancer cells and other cells that quickly proliferate.

• Blood cells – Such cells assist in combating infection, assist in blood clotting and transporting oxygen to all areas of the body. When blood cells get affected due to the drugs, the patient is more prone to infections, bruising or easy bleeding and would constantly feel weakness and fatigue.
• Hair root cells – Hair loss could occur due to chemotherapy drugs. Though there would be re-growth, the colour and texture might feel quite different.
• Cells lining the digestive tract – Chemotherapy could lead to loss in appetite, feeling nauseous, vomiting, diarrhoea or sores forming in the mouth and lip.

The drugs administered for treating stomach cancer might additionally lead to skin rashes or itchiness.

Radiation Therapy (Radiotherapy)

This procedure employs high-power beams for eradicating the cancer cells. This is a target-specific kind of treatment done using a mammoth machine that emits the radiation. The duration of the treatment is generally five days per week spanning for several weeks.

Side effects are dependent on the dosage of radiation and what part of the body is undergoing the treatment. When radiation therapy is carried out in the abdominal region, it could lead to pain and discomfort in the stomach or intestinal region. One might feel nauseous and get diarrhea. The area of the skin that is being treated might redden, dry up and might show tenderness.

One is prone to experience significant weariness during the course of the radiation therapy, particularly so in the later part of the weeks of the treatment. Though taking adequate rest is crucial, however doctors normally suggest that patients must attempt to continue staying as energetic as they possibly could.

Though the side effects arising due to radiation therapy could be agonising, the doctor would generally treat or try to curb them. Side effects normally subside after the treatment concludes.

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