In the case of recurrence of stomach cancer after surgery or further negative manifestation of metastases, various types of therapy are recommended. In the world practice, radiation or chemical therapy is used, this will be discussed in this article.
As already mentioned, the effectiveness of radiation and chemical therapy alone in the advanced stages of stomach cancer is significantly lower than the radical surgical treatment, however, these therapies have proved very useful in combination with surgery, and they can be used both before surgery and after. At the preoperative stage, the goal of the treatment is to reduce the size of the tumor. In the postoperative period, they are used to prevent the recurrence of malignant tumors.
Radiation therapy for stomach cancer
This method of treating gastric cancer is based on ionizing radiation that occurs when exposed to high energy X-rays. This type of energy affects the cancer cell at the molecular level, disrupting intracellular metabolism, as a result of which the cell either dies or ceases to divide. Cancer cells, due to their rapid metabolism, are exposed to radiation more strongly than uninfected cells, and therefore the use of it at an early stage of stomach cancer makes it possible to avoid classical surgical intervention. Since radiation therapy is a rather complicated process that requires the availability of experienced personnel and expensive equipment, this procedure is performed exclusively on an outpatient basis.
Despite the narrowly focused effect of the electron beam, healthy cells also receive their dose of harmful radiation, and this, of course, adversely affects the overall well-being and condition of the patient. After the radiation therapy of stomach cancer, the patient feels broken, and in the area of exposure, side effects can occur in the form of redness of the skin, hair can also fall out, and the protective function of the whole organism decreases. Typically, these side effects go away after a short time after the procedure. However, in case of long discomfort and low resistance of the immune system to infections, it is recommended to consult a doctor for prescribing a number of restorative medications.
You can, of course, and do not conduct radiation therapy for stomach cancer, and replace it with "chemistry".It can be performed on an outpatient basis or at home. The effect on cancer cells in the stomach is produced through medications administered orally or with a dropper. But chemotherapy also does not pass without a trace for the patient. At the same time, not only cancer cells but also the whole organism are exposed to poisoning, which, again, adversely affects the patient's immune system and requires further general restorative treatment.
Target therapy for stomach cancer
In order to reduce the harmful effect on the entire body, the method of targeted therapy of gastric cancer based on the use of special medications targeted on affected cells at the molecular level is used in world practice. About the drugs and drugs used to treat stomach cancer, and, in particular, about the drugs targeted therapy, we will talk in another article.