Stomach Cancer
How
is stomach cancer treated?
A
treatment plan is designed to fit each patient's needs.
Treatment for stomach cancer depends on the size, location,
and extent of the tumor, the stage of the disease, the patient's
general health, and other factors.
Many
people who have cancer want to learn all they can about
the disease and their treatment choices so they can take
an active part in decisions about their medical care. The
doctor is the best person to answer questions about their
diagnosis and treatment plan.
When
a person is diagnosed with cancer, shock and stress are
natural reactions. These feelings may make it difficult
for people to think of everything they want to ask the doctor.
Often, it helps to make a list of questions. Also, to help
remember what the doctor says, patients may take notes or
ask whether they can use a tape recorder. Some people also
want to have a family member or friend with them when they
talk to the doctor, to take part in the discussion, to take
notes, or just to listen. Patients should not feel the need
to ask all their questions or remember all the answers at
one time. They will have other chances to ask the doctor
to explain things and to get more information.
When
talking about treatment choices, the patient may want to
ask about taking part in a research study. Such studies,
called clinical trials, are designed to improve cancer treatment.
Patients
and their loved ones are naturally concerned about the effectiveness
of the treatment. Sometimes, they use statistics to try
to figure out whether the patient will be cured, or how
long he or she will live. It is important to remember, however,
that statistics are averages based on large numbers of patients.
They cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular
person because no two cancer patients, even with the same
type of cancer, are alike; treatments and responses vary
greatly. Patients may want to talk with the doctor about
the chance of recovery (prognosis). When doctors talk about
surviving cancer, they may use the term remission rather
than cure. Even though many patients recover completely,
doctors use this term because the disease can return. (The
return of cancer is called a recurrence).
Methods
of Treatment
Cancer
of the stomach is difficult to cure unless it is found in
an early stage (before it has begun to spread). Unfortunately,
because early stomach cancer causes few symptoms, the disease
is usually advanced when the diagnosis is made. However,
advanced stomach cancer can be treated, and the symptoms
can be relieved. Treatments for stomach cancer may include
surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. New treatment
approaches such as biological therapy and improved ways
of using current methods are being studied in clinical trials.
A patient may have one form of treatment or a combination
of treatments.
Surgery
is the most common treatment for stomach cancer. The operation
is called gastrectomy. The surgeon removes part (subtotal
or partial gastrectomy) or all (total gastrectomy) of the
stomach, as well as some of the tissue around the stomach.
After a subtotal gastrectomy, the doctor connects the remaining
part of the stomach to the esophagus or the small intestine.
After a total gastrectomy, the doctor connects the esophagus
directly to the small intestine. Because cancer can spread
through the lymphatic system, lymph nodes near the tumor
are often removed during surgery so that the pathologist
can check them for cancer cells. If cancer cells are in
the lymph nodes, the disease may have spread to other parts
of the body.
Chemotherapy
is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. This type of treatment
is called systemic therapy because the drugs enter the bloodstream
and travel through the body.
Clinical
trials are in progress to find the best ways to use chemotherapy
to treat stomach cancer. Scientists are exploring the benefits
of giving chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the tumor,
or as adjuvant therapy after surgery to destroy remaining
cancer cells. Combination treatment with chemotherapy and
radiation therapy is also under study. Doctors are testing
a treatment in which anticancer drugs are put directly into
the abdomen (intraperitoneal chemotherapy). Chemotherapy
also is being studied as a treatment for cancer that has
spread, and as a way to relieve symptoms of the disease.
Most
anticancer drugs are given by injection; some are taken
by mouth. The doctor may use one drug or a combination of
drugs. Chemotherapy is given in cycles: a treatment period
followed by a recovery period, then another treatment, and
so on. Usually a person receives chemotherapy as an outpatient
(at the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home). However,
depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general
health, a short hospital stay may be needed.
Radiation
therapy (also called radiotherapy) is the use of high-energy
rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing.
Like surgery, it is local therapy; radiation affects cancer
cells only in the treated area. Radiation therapy is sometimes
given after surgery to destroy cancer cells that may remain
in the area. Researchers are conducting clinical trials
to find out whether it is helpful to give radiation therapy
during surgery (intraoperative radiation therapy). Radiation
therapy can also be used to relieve pain or blockage.
The
patient goes to the hospital or clinic each day for radiation
therapy. Usually treatments are given 5 days a week for
5 to 6 weeks.
Biological
therapy (also called immunotherapy) is a form of treatment
that helps the body's immune system attack and destroy cancer
cells. It may also help the body recover from some of the
side effects of treatment. In clinical trials, doctors are
studying biological therapy in combination with other treatments
to try to prevent a recurrence of stomach cancer. In another
use of biological therapy, patients who have low blood cell
counts during or after chemotherapy may receive colony-stimulating
factors to help restore the blood cell levels. Patients
may need to stay in the hospital while receiving some types
of biological therapy.
Clinical
Trials
Many
patients with stomach cancer are treated in clinical trials
(treatment studies). Doctors conduct clinical trials to
find out whether a new approach is both safe and effective
and to answer scientific questions. Patients who take part
in these studies are often first to receive treatments that
have shown promise in laboratory research. In clinical trials,
some patients may receive the new treatment while others
receive the standard approach. In this way, doctors can
compare different therapies. Patients who take part in a
trial make an important contribution to medical science
and may have the first chance to benefit from improved treatment
methods. Researchers also use clinical trials to look for
ways to reduce the side effects of treatment and to improve
the quality of patients' lives.
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The information on this page has been extracted from http://www.medicinenet.com/stomach_cancer/page4.htm
