Stomach Cancer Treatment
For cancer patients, deciding on which stomach cancer treatment is best it a matter between the doctor and the patient. There are various considerations to weigh into the decision, such as the cost of treatment, the effectivity, the length of treatment, and the potential side-effects. It has to be a decision done with enough knowledge on cancer treatments. Even if the doctor mostly knows what’s best for the patient, the patient also needs to know these things for himself so as to make that decision. The following are some today’s common treatments for cancer:
Stomach Cancer Treatment: Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
Chemotherapy is often confused with radiation therapy. They are usually done together, but are two very different things. Chemotherapy is a treatment that involves taking drugs that will interfere with the growth of the cancer cells in the body, keeping them from harming healthy cells. Chemotherapy is given through injections or pills. This is a treatment for relieving the pain of the patient.
Radiation therapy, on the other hand, is done using a huge machine that has a computer-controlled beam radiation, aimed at the tumor. The problem with radiation therapy is that it also damages the cells in the path of the beam, not only the tumor. If done without an accompanying chemotherapy, the body will quickly wear out because of the treatment, making the patient very weak. In a defenseless state like that, the body is also unable to fight off the remaining tumor. For that reason, radiation therapy is done only at long intervals, with constant chemotherapy in between. Other side-effects of radiation therapy include discomfort, pain, and stress.
There are a few side-effects of chemotherapy, too, but not as grave as in radiation therapy. The common side-effects include skin rashes, itching, vomiting, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, loss of appetite, and the risk of further infection. These side-effects, especially infection, are still considerably dangerous, which is why chemotherapy and radiation therapy shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Radiation and chemotherapy are often done after a tumor removal surgery. Both are done to rid the body of the remaining vestige of the cancer cells. Note that if left alone, the remaining cells can again grow back to tumors. The body will have been already weak from the first tumor, and now will have to go through it again.
Stomach Cancer Treatment: Surgery
The size of the tumor is a primary consideration when deciding whether a surgery is necessary. In the operation, not only the tumor is removed, but also the healthy cells around it, to lessen the risk of leaving cancer cells in the patient.
Related Topics:
- Bladder Cancer Treatment
- Lung Cancer Treatment
- Esophageal Cancer Treatment
- Stomach Cancer Stages
- Pancreatic Cancer Treatment