How to treat advanced gastric cancer?

Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
Updated on September 03, 2024
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The treatment for advanced gastric cancer is primarily chemotherapy, especially for patients with peritoneal or retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis, or distant organ metastasis such as to the liver or lungs. The treatment primarily involves chemotherapy, specifically choosing either multi-drug intravenous combination chemotherapy or oral monotherapy, such as oral chemotherapy with tegafur capsules, or broad-spectrum targeted therapies like apatinib that inhibit angiogenesis. The choice of treatment depends on a comprehensive consideration of the patient's overall condition. If the patient's general condition is particularly poor and the chemotherapy risk is assessed to be high, then the approach for such advanced-stage patients is primarily the best symptomatic supportive treatment to alleviate suffering as much as possible. Therefore, the treatment plan must be determined based on a comprehensive consideration of the specific situation.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Symptoms of gastric cancer

Symptoms of gastric cancer include nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, pain in the upper abdomen, and a sense of fullness and discomfort, especially after eating, which are some of the early symptoms. As the tumor progresses, symptoms can worsen, including pain, vomiting of blood, and black stools indicating upper gastrointestinal bleeding. If the tumor is near the pylorus, it can cause pyloric obstruction, which manifests as acid reflux followed by vomiting of undigested food from the previous night. In the late stages of gastric cancer, patients may experience fatigue, weight loss, severe cachexia, and anemia. These are symptoms of advanced gastric cancer.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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How is gastric cancer caused?

The causes of gastric cancer are not yet clearly understood. However, its occurrence is associated with poor dietary habits, such as irregular eating—sometimes skipping a meal, sometimes overeating, not having meals on time—and consuming pickled food, barbecued junk food, and other unhealthy dietary practices. Additionally, smoking, alcohol consumption, infection with Helicobacter pylori, chronic gastric diseases such as atrophic gastritis, and genetic factors are all somewhat related to the development of this condition.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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What are the symptoms of gastric cancer?

The symptoms of gastric cancer patients are generally common gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, and discomfort and bloating in the upper abdomen, especially aggravated after eating. As the condition progresses, symptoms may include vomiting blood or black stools. When the cancer invades surrounding organs, clinical symptoms such as abdominal effusion, abdominal distension, and pain may occur. If the tumor is located near the pylorus and causes pyloric obstruction, symptoms of pyloric obstruction will appear, such as gastric retention, acid reflux, and vomiting of overnight food. Additionally, if the tumor bleeds, it may cause severe vomiting of blood. Therefore, different stages of the disease present different symptoms. If gastric cancer progresses to the late stage with metastasis to distant organs, clinical manifestations corresponding to the sites of metastasis will also appear.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Can late-stage gastric cancer be treated?

Patients with late-stage gastric cancer generally may not have the opportunity for curative surgery, which is mainly suitable for early-stage gastric cancer patients. For late-stage gastric cancer patients, the treatment plan should be chosen based on the specific condition of the patient. If the patient's general condition is relatively good, chemotherapy can be an option. The type of chemotherapy, whether intravenous combination chemotherapy or oral drugs like tegafur capsules or capecitabine, which generally have milder reactions, depends on the patient's condition. Additionally, late-stage gastric cancer patients can try molecular targeted therapy, such as anti-angiogenesis drugs like apatinib, etc. Therefore, treatment options should be selected based on specific circumstances. The use of medications should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Is gastric cancer contagious?

Gastric cancer is a malignant tumor occurring in the epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa. It is non-contagious. Currently, the incidence of gastric cancer is relatively high, primarily due to Helicobacter pylori infection, adverse environmental factors, and dietary irritants. Genetic factors also play a significant role, with 10% of gastric cancer patients having a family history. Those with a family history of gastric cancer have an incidence rate that is 2 to 3 times higher than the general population. Additionally, precancerous lesions can also induce gastric cancer, such as intestinal metaplasia, gastric polyps, residual gastritis, and gastric ulcers. Typical symptoms include indigestion, anemia, lack of appetite, aversion to food, and fatigue. Currently, gastroscopy combined with mucosal biopsy is the most reliable diagnostic method.