Welcome to EmpowHER. Thank you for coming to us for information about treatment for stage 3 and 4 stomach cancer.
Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, is a cancer that starts in the stomach. It tend to develop slowly over many years. Before a true cancer develops, pre-cancerous changes often occur in the inner lining of the stomach. These early changes rarely cause symptoms and therefore often go undetected.
Stomach cancer can develop in different parts of the stomach. There are different types of stomach cancer. These are adenocarcinomas, lymphomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and carcinoid tumors.
The stage of a cancer is a description of how far the cancer has spread. The stomach cancer’s stage is an important factor in choosing treatment options and predicting a patient’s prognosis.
Surgery is the main treatment for patients with stage 3 stomach cancer, unless they have other medical conditions that make them too ill for it.
Some people may get chemo or chemoradiation before surgery to try to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove. Patients who get chemo before surgery will probably get chemo after, as well. For patients who don’t get chemo before surgery and for those who have surgery but have some cancer left behind, treatment after surgery is usually chemoradiation.
If a person is too sick (from other illnesses) to have surgery, they may be treated with chemoradiation if they can tolerate it. Other options include radiation therapy or chemo alone.
Because stage IV stomach cancer has spread to distant organs, a cure is usually not possible. But treatment can often help keep the cancer under control and help relieve symptoms. This might include surgery, such as a gastric bypass or even a subtotal gastrectomy in some cases, to keep the stomach and/or intestines from becoming blocked (obstructed) or to control bleeding.
In some cases, a laser beam directed through an endoscope (a long, flexible tube passed down the throat) can destroy most of the tumor and relieve obstruction without surgery. If needed, a stent (a hollow metal tube) may be placed where the esophagus and stomach meet to help keep it open and allow food to pass through it. This can also be done at the junction of the stomach and the small intestine.
Chemo and/or radiation therapy can often help shrink the cancer and relieve some symptoms as well as help patients live longer, but is usually not expected to cure the cancer. Combinations of chemo drugs are most commonly used, but which combination is best is not clear.
Targeted therapy can also be helpful in treating advanced cancers. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) can be added to chemotherapy for patients whose tumors are HER2-positive. Ramucirumab (Cyramza) may also be an option at some point. It can be given by itself or added to chemo.
All this information is from the American Cancer Society. I hope you find this information answers your question.
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Hello Anonymous,
Welcome to EmpowHER. Thank you for coming to us for information about treatment for stage 3 and 4 stomach cancer.
Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, is a cancer that starts in the stomach. It tend to develop slowly over many years. Before a true cancer develops, pre-cancerous changes often occur in the inner lining of the stomach. These early changes rarely cause symptoms and therefore often go undetected.
Stomach cancer can develop in different parts of the stomach. There are different types of stomach cancer. These are adenocarcinomas, lymphomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and carcinoid tumors.
The stage of a cancer is a description of how far the cancer has spread. The stomach cancer’s stage is an important factor in choosing treatment options and predicting a patient’s prognosis.
Surgery is the main treatment for patients with stage 3 stomach cancer, unless they have other medical conditions that make them too ill for it.
Some people may get chemo or chemoradiation before surgery to try to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove. Patients who get chemo before surgery will probably get chemo after, as well. For patients who don’t get chemo before surgery and for those who have surgery but have some cancer left behind, treatment after surgery is usually chemoradiation.
If a person is too sick (from other illnesses) to have surgery, they may be treated with chemoradiation if they can tolerate it. Other options include radiation therapy or chemo alone.
Because stage IV stomach cancer has spread to distant organs, a cure is usually not possible. But treatment can often help keep the cancer under control and help relieve symptoms. This might include surgery, such as a gastric bypass or even a subtotal gastrectomy in some cases, to keep the stomach and/or intestines from becoming blocked (obstructed) or to control bleeding.
In some cases, a laser beam directed through an endoscope (a long, flexible tube passed down the throat) can destroy most of the tumor and relieve obstruction without surgery. If needed, a stent (a hollow metal tube) may be placed where the esophagus and stomach meet to help keep it open and allow food to pass through it. This can also be done at the junction of the stomach and the small intestine.
Chemo and/or radiation therapy can often help shrink the cancer and relieve some symptoms as well as help patients live longer, but is usually not expected to cure the cancer. Combinations of chemo drugs are most commonly used, but which combination is best is not clear.
Targeted therapy can also be helpful in treating advanced cancers. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) can be added to chemotherapy for patients whose tumors are HER2-positive. Ramucirumab (Cyramza) may also be an option at some point. It can be given by itself or added to chemo.
All this information is from the American Cancer Society. I hope you find this information answers your question.
Regards,
December 1, 2015 - 9:46amMaryann
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