Types of Treatment Stomach Cancer
There are different types of treatment available for patients with stomach cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment) and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for cancer patients. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients should think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
There are four types of standard treatment:
Surgery
Surgery is a common treatment for all stages of stomach cancer. You can use the following types of surgery:
* Subtotal gastrectomy: Removal of part of the stomach that contains cancer, lymph nodes, and parts of other tissues and organs near the tumor. You can remove the spleen. The spleen is an organ of the upper abdomen that filters the blood and removes old blood cells.
* Total gastrectomy: Removal of the entire stomach, nearby lymph nodes and parts of the esophagus, small intestine and other tissues near the tumor. You can remove the spleen. The esophagus connects the small intestine so the patient can continue eating and swallowing.
If the tumor blocks the stomach, but the cancer can not be completely removed by standard surgery, you can use the following procedures:
* Endoluminal stent placement: A procedure to insert a cannula (thin tube expandable) to keep open a passage (such as arteries or the esophagus). In the case of tumors that block passageways or come from the stomach, surgery may be used to place a stent from the esophagus into the stomach or the stomach to the small intestine to allow the patient to eat normally.
* Endoluminal laser therapy: A procedure which is introduced into the body of an endoscope (thin, lighted tube) with a laser attachment. The laser is an intense light beam that can be used like a knife.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells by killing or stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can affect cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ or body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of cancer being treated.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high energy X-rays or other radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of cancer being treated.
Chemoradiation
Chemoradiation combines chemotherapy with radiation to enhance the effects of both. Chemoradiation treatment given after surgery to increase the chance of cure is called adjuvant therapy. If given before surgery is called neoadjuvant therapy.