WHAT IS STOMACH CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT

 

WHAT IS STOMACH CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT

Ask another specialist to confirm or deny the diagnosis, get a second opinion. What to do if the diagnosis is established? Learn as much as possible about treatment methods and prefer the safest tactics in favor of the body and for uncompromising control of the tumor. The giandliverconsultants provide the best gastrointestinal consultants in Irvine.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, characterized by the emergence and development of tumors from the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the body. Like other cancers, this type of oncology gradually develops from stages 1 to 4. Unfortunately, the causes of the disease have not yet been determined, but it is known that gastritis and ulcers are among the grounds of the disease.

Reasons:

The disease can also affect the body for the following reasons:

  • The presence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.
  • Polyps in the digestive system.
  • Stomach surgeries were performed earlier.
  • The presence of pernicious anemia.
  • The prolonged inflammatory process in the digestive system.

In men, the disease is detected more often than in women. The condition usually occurs after 40-45 years, although there are many cases of cancer diagnosis among young people in medical practice.

Localization of gastric cancer

Malignant tumors can be located:

  • In the central part of the stomach (in the body).
  • In the department where the esophagus connects with the stomach (upper department).
  • In the department where the stomach combines with the intestines (lower department).

Symptoms of stomach cancer

Cancer manifests itself in uncharacteristic symptoms in the early stages, so it is difficult to diagnose the disease.

There is a complex of early signs which is observed in patients with cancer:

  • Weakness of the body;
  • Weight loss;
  • Abdominal discomfort;
  • Decreased efficiency, fatigue, and depression.

Common signs of the disease also include asthenia, nausea, and pale skin. In addition, in the process of tumor development and growth, other symptoms appear pain in the upper abdomen, constipation, an increase in the size of the stomach, and the accumulation of fluid in it.

 

Diagnosis of gastric cancer

Detecting the disease in the early stages is quite tricky because its manifestations resemble the signs of other, less dangerous conditions. In this case, gastroscopy comes to the aid of specialists - a safe, accurate, and effective method of diagnosing cancer, which does not use radiation. This method allows you to examine the cavity of the esophagus and duodenum to give doctors complete information about the presence of the tumor, its size.

 

 

Gastric cancer will also help diagnose:

  • Biopsy - a procedure during which a small part of the tissue is taken from the tumor (tumor, polyp). This helps doctors determine the nature of oncology and understand whether a benign or malignant tumor needs to be fought.
  • CT of the abdominal cavity allows detecting the presence of metastases (distant and regional). Also, CT diagnosis, based on the thickening of the organ wall, can indicate which of the four stages of cancer is present in the patient.
  • Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity in gastric cancer is as accurate as possible.
  • MRI diagnosis visualizes metastases with an accuracy of more than 80%.

Treatment of gastric cancer

How cancer will be treated and what treatment strategy the doctor will prefer will depend on many factors: the patient's condition, the location of the tumor, its shape and size, the involvement of other organs, and finally, which of the four stages of the disease.

Radiation therapy (radiotherapy) is one of the best modern cancer treatment methods, which is successfully used in Europe. Radiotherapy is operated independently and in combination with other methods (such as chemotherapy, surgery). In the case of cancer of the central digestive tract, radiation therapy is often used after surgery.

Radiation therapy is no less effective in the case of metastasis. Moreover, thanks to the latest technologies used by the technique, it is possible to treat tumors in mobile organs and near vital organs.

Tomotherapy is the most modern and perfect type of radiation therapy used for the first time in Ukraine in TomoClinic with the Tomo HD device. With the help of ionizing radiation, the device acts on cancer cells with maximum accuracy without affecting healthy tissues and organs.

Treatment of cancer by tomotherapy allows to influence both single malignant new growths, and numerous metastasizes. In the case of metastasis, irradiation of all foci of cancer in the patient's body is performed simultaneously. The giandliverconsultants provide the best liver consultants in Irvine.

Chemotherapy for stomach cancer

Stage 1 and 2 gastric cancers are often treated surgically, but this method can rarely be chosen for stage 3. Then the patient is waiting for chemotherapy, although sometimes the doctor decides to apply it to the surgeon. At the same time, the new growth of a stomach falls under the influence of chemotherapeutics, and tumor cells are eliminated, the risk of emergence of metastasizes decreases. As a result, the patient prolongs his life and minimizes the number of relapses. In addition, drug treatment can be adjuvant (after surgery) and non-adjuvant (before surgery, when it is desirable to reduce the tumor before it).

Chemotherapy is indicated for patients with gastric cancer in other situations:

  • in combination with surgery
  • to reduce the symptoms of oncology with palliative care
  • with metastases in the liver or other organs
  • when the tumor germinates in the abdominal cavity

Depending on the stage of stomach cancer and the type of malignancy, the chemotherapist will prescribe the right drug.

Radiation therapy at TomoClinic

Often chemotherapy is performed in combination with radiation. TomoClinic is a modern oncology clinic where every patient can choose tomotherapy to fight stomach cancer. A whole range of therapeutic techniques can be combined with this progressive treatment system. The clinic's specialists will make sure that the patient with gastric cancer is correctly positioned on the table of the tomography, and the rays are directed precisely at the target, bypassing healthy organs and tissues.

Radiation therapy

On our linear accelerators, the dose is brought to a tumor continuously and on a spiral. The beam of rays revolves around a patient with gastric cancer, and the table moves through the gentry ring. Medical physicists calculate the beam's trajectory in advance, which means that it falls precisely into the tumor. In addition, the linear accelerator can "cover" several foci for therapy in one session. The radiation dose suggested by the doctor goes to each of them: large and small, single and numerous. The health of nearby organs and tissues is also preserved.

Treatment protocols

To learn about international treatment protocols from ESMO and NCCN, you can follow the link (register, download PDF file) and learn more about gastric cancer therapy:

  • Stomach cancer (Stomach cancer)
  • Gastric cancer

 

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