Chemotherapy is a part of the standard treatment regimen for stomach cancer. The expected result of chemotherapy is the complete death of tumor cells or inhibition of their vital activity, preventing the growth of the tumor and its further spread. Currently, the concept of chemotherapy is expanding through research regarding the new types of drugs.
Can stage 4 cancer be treated?
Currently, new anti-tumor drugs stabilize the metastatic process and do not allow the health condition to deteriorate, while having negligible aftereffects.
Advances in clinical oncology today allow oncologists to actively use different methods for people with stage 4 cancer, significantly prolonging a patient’s life. The research indicates that the complete cure is hardly achievable, but in some cases significant life prolongation is possible.
Peculiarities of chemotherapy for stomach cancer
Chemotherapy is usually included in treatment schemes for gastric cancer of the early stages as an auxiliary treatment and may be prescribed before surgical treatment, after surgery as well as perioperatively.
Palliative care for patients with stage 4 cancer can significantly improve their condition and extend lives. It requires removing or reducing the size of existing tumors to restore the functioning of the organs, if possible. For this purpose, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are used, along with immune and hormone therapy as additional methods.
Palliative chemotherapy for stomach cancer stage 4 is a mainstay of treatment when the prognosis is poor, but there is an opportunity to extend the patient’s life and improve its quality. As a rule, combined treatment with several drugs with different mechanisms of action is used. Medications are distributed throughout the body (systemic therapy) and can be taken orally or injected into blood vessels. Usually, regimens including cisplatin, fluorouracil, and anthracyclines are used in the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer.
At advanced stages of stomach cancer, the role of chemotherapy increases. In most cases, systemic treatment is prescribed, but in some cases, intraperitoneal chemotherapy may be carried out. In this case, cytostatic solutions are injected into the abdominal cavity through a small incision in its wall.
How is chemotherapy carried out?
Chemotherapy drugs are most often given as pills and intravenous injections.
Chemotherapy is given with resting periods to give the body time to recover. Cycles are most often several weeks long, and the initial number of cycles usually ranges from 4 to 6. The schedule varies depending on the medications used.
You can learn more about the programs for chemotherapy for stomach cancer stage 4 on the Booking Health website.
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy for stomach cancer stage 4
In peritoneal carcinomatosis that develops during the fourth stage of stomach cancer, intraperitoneal chemotherapy is given in addition to systemic chemotherapy. This is a localized type of treatment that involves injecting a solution of chemotherapy into the abdominal cavity. With intraperitoneal chemotherapy, the patient can live several years longer if the response to treatment is good.
Candidates for intraperitoneal therapy are patients with limited carcinomatosis, no metastases outside the peritoneal cavity, and a good response to systemic chemotherapy.
Visit https://bookinghealth.com/ to find more information about different types of chemotherapy for stomach cancer.
How to undergo chemotherapy abroad during a lockdown?
For people with diagnosed cancer, postponing therapy is not an option because it may be fraught with irreversible changes. However, many patients face problems connected with the absence of innovative treatment methods in their place of residence, and the question of going abroad arises.
Unfortunately, lockdown tricked many patients into thinking that going abroad for treatment is off the table. Lockdown rules make it more confusing, but, surely, not impossible to undergo treatment abroad. And the whole process becomes easier with guidance and support.
Booking Health offers their clients assistance with everything related to treatment abroad: from selecting the hospital for your diagnosis and engaging in negotiation with the chosen medical facility to offering expertise in the matter of getting a medical visa during the lockdown and booking the flights and accommodation.
See more information at the official website https://bookinghealth.com/.