Oasis Hospice offers the best services for oasis hospice & palliative care for stomach cancer patients. For more information and assistance, call (708) 564-4838
The treatment of stomach cancer (also known as gastric cancer) depends on the location and extent of the tumor. Age, general health, and personal preferences can all play a role.
Stomach cancer usually begins in the inner lining. It can then grow and spread in many ways. A stomach tumor might spread to neighboring organs. It may also affect surrounding lymph nodes (bean-sized structures that help fight infections). Advanced cancers can spread (metastasize) to organs like the liver, lungs, and bones, making treatment more difficult.
When To Worry About Stomach Cancer
Surgery to remove the cancer is usually part of treatment, if it is possible. Surgery isn’t always possible if cancer has spread widely or the patient isn’t well enough. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are frequently used in conjunction with or in place of surgery. Targeted medicines and immunotherapy may also be helpful in some cases. How to do hospice care for cancer?
Because most cancer patients receive multiple types of treatment, a team of specialists must analyze and debate the best options. Stomach cancer is rare in the United States and challenging to treat, so your cancer care team must have experience treating it.
Even while the AJCC TNM stage of the disease is crucial, clinicians sometimes categorize stomach cancers into bigger groups when deciding on the best treatment options. These are:
- Earlier stage cancers have not penetrated the stomach wall or spread beyond it. These cancers are rare in the US.
- Resectable cancers These tumors have spread to neighboring locations or lymph nodes. Because these cancers haven’t spread to other parts of the body, surgery may still be an option to remove them altogether.
- Incurable tumors. These tumors have spread to neighboring locations or lymph nodes. While cancer hasn’t spread to other parts of the body, surgery is unlikely to eliminate it all. Cancer may be too close to vital organs, or the patient may be too sick for major surgery.
- Once-metastases These cancers have spread to other organs.
Acute-phase tumors
These tumors are still in the stomach’s inner lining and have not spread to deeper layers of the stomach wall. Early-stage malignancies are usually treated surgically with a partial or total gastrectomy (removal of a section of the stomach) (removal of the entire stomach). Then the lymph nodes are removed.
Endoscopic resection can treat some stage 0 tumors. An endoscope is used to remove the malignancy and some layers of the stomach wall. This is more common in nations like Japan, where early stomach cancer detection is expected. Because stomach cancer is rarely found so early in the US, this treatment is less common. A cancer center with experience with this approach should perform it.
If surgery (or endoscopic resection) removes all cancer, the patient is usually followed closely without additional therapy. Chemotherapy and radiation may be prescribed if cancer has not been completely eradicated. Other options include more thorough cancer surgery.
Palliative Care For Stomach Cancer
Palliative care improves the quality of life by controlling cancer symptoms rather than curing them. It’s more like supportive care. Many believe palliative care is only for the terminally ill, yet it can help anyone with advanced stomach cancer. It’s about extending your life in the most fulfilling way possible. How to do palliative care for stomach cancer?
Your treatment plan may include surgery, stenting (a flexible tube), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or other medications. These remedies can aid with pain, bleeding, swallowing difficulties, and nausea. They can also slow cancer spread. This is where a team of health specialists helps meet your physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual, and social requirements—also helping families and caretakers.
How Can Stomach Cancer Kill You
Many individuals wonder how cancer can kill you. Most individuals worry about it at some point. We know it isn’t easy to discuss. You may save this material to read later when you’re ready. It’s fine if you don’t want to read it.
Not All Tumors Kill
To begin, not all malignancies are fatal. In England and Wales, half of those diagnosed with cancer live for ten years or longer. In the US, cancer survival has doubled in 40 years.
Early-stage cancer rarely kills. So much effort goes into early diagnosis when treatment is most effective. So, what? The way cancer kills you depends on the type and location of cancer. Some malignancies start in or spread to vital organs.
GI tract
The digestive system is also known as the GI system. It contains:
- tummy t (esophagus)
- stomach
- pancreas
- liver
- intestines
- Diagram of the Digestive System
- Stomach cancer can wholly or partially restrict it. So food cannot be digested, and minerals and calories cannot be absorbed.
- The blockage may be surgically removed. If this isn’t possible, your doctor will control your symptoms.
- If you can’t eat or drink, you’re more susceptible to infection.
Lungs
A tumor may obstruct a lung segment. This part crumbles and infects. When cancer blocks the lungs, there may not be enough good lung tissue to absorb oxygen. Advanced cancer patients may not fight a lung infection with or without solid antibiotics. So the disease can cause death.
Bones
Bone cancer can cause calcium to leak into the circulation. The body’s calcium equilibrium may be affected. The body typically corrects this, but the systems fail when the imbalance is too extreme. There are treatments to restore calcium levels, but they only work temporarily. So the calcium levels in the blood might keep rising. High calcium levels in the body can induce unconsciousness and death. Bone marrow cancer cells can affect Bone marrow, a spongy substance that fills bones. It creates stem cells, which mature into new blood cells. You may run out of healthy bone marrow:
- red blood cells to transport oxygen
- anti-infection white blood cells
- clotting platelets
Liver
The liver produces the body’s chemicals. The liver is responsible for maintaining the body’s chemical balance. However, tumors in the liver can upset this balance. If this chemical balance is not restored, it might be fatal.
Vessels
Cancers can invade and destroy blood vessels in the body. This can bleed. For example, brain bleeding is a stroke, which can be fatal if not controlled.
Treatment
A lot of cancer treatments can control it for a long time. But if cancer grows, the body may not handle it.
- Learn about cancer treatments.
- Discussing death
- Death is a complex subject to broach. Sharing feelings can help everyone involved.
- Most individuals worry about dying at some point. Talking about how cancer affects your body can help ease some of those fears.
- Everyone’s death experience is unique. Many people are relieved to learn that they or a loved one will likely pass out shortly before death.
