Can stomach cancer be cured?

Written by Liu Liang

Oncology

Updated on September 03, 2024

00:00

00:00

Whether gastric cancer can be cured depends greatly on the stage at which it is discovered. Clinically, if there is no recurrence or metastasis within five years, it is considered cured. The treatment of gastric cancer is primarily surgical. Therefore, for early-stage gastric cancer patients, if a surgeon assesses that curative surgery is feasible, it is recommended to perform a radical surgical resection. For stage I gastric cancer patients, the five-year survival rate after surgical treatment can generally reach over 90%, which is quite effective. However, for those with advanced gastric cancer, it is generally incurable. Treatments, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or optimal symptomatic supportive care, aim to alleviate the patient's suffering and extend their life, but generally cannot cure advanced gastric cancer.

Other Voices

home-news-image

Written by Ren Zheng Xin

Gastroenterology

53sec

home-news-image

What can stomach cancer patients eat?

Gastric cancer refers to a malignant tumor that occurs in the gastric mucosal epithelium. Special attention should be paid to the diet, appropriately supplementing with multivitamins and consuming more fresh foods, such as fresh green vegetables and fruits. The diet should be diverse to avoid favoring certain foods overly and to ensure the intake of a variety of nutrients. It is also necessary to eat some meat for protein, avoid moldy foods, reduce the consumption of pickled, salted, smoked foods, and those rich in nitrites, and avoid the irritation from strong tea, coffee, and hard liquor. In addition to dietary measures, active treatment for early-stage gastric cancer can include endoscopic mucosal resection, or one may opt for a major gastric resection surgery or radiotherapy, while maintaining a good psychological state and sufficient sleep.

home-news-image

Written by Liu Liang

Oncology

1min 4sec

home-news-image

How to treat advanced gastric cancer?

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.

home-news-image

Written by Liu Liang

Oncology

1min 26sec

home-news-image

How is stomach cancer treated?

The treatment for gastric cancer now includes surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, among others. The specific treatment plan is formulated based on various factors such as the staging of the cancer, the patient's overall condition, and the presence of any underlying diseases, which are all taken into consideration before deciding on a treatment plan. For patients in the early stages who are generally in good condition, surgical resection can be evaluated and is primarily curative. Post-operative treatment decisions, such as whether to pursue adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy, depend on the pathology results and the presence of high-risk factors for recurrence. For patients in advanced stages who are found to have distant metastases upon diagnosis, treatment is primarily chemotherapy. Additionally, there are broad-spectrum targeted therapies against angiogenesis, such as apatinib, which are suitable for patients with advanced gastric cancer or those who do not respond well to chemotherapy, serving as a secondary or tertiary line of treatment. These are some of the treatment methods for gastric cancer. It is crucial that the use of any medication is conducted under the guidance of a doctor.

home-news-image

Written by Liu Liang

Oncology

1min 30sec

home-news-image

Late-stage symptoms of gastric cancer

The common late-stage symptoms of gastric cancer patients include nausea, vomiting, and even a complete inability to eat. There are also symptoms related to the digestive tract such as pain in the upper abdomen and acid reflux, as well as upper gastrointestinal bleeding, such as vomiting blood and melena which are signs of lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Late-stage gastric cancer patients may also experience organ metastasis, leading to corresponding symptoms. For example, metastasis of gastric cancer to the liver can cause abdominal pain and ascites due to hepatic metastatic tumors. Clinical manifestations caused by such metastatic tumors also include metastasis to retroperitoneal lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity, a common site of spread for gastric cancer. Patients may even show symptoms of intestinal obstruction, such as abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, inability to pass stool, or even absence of flatus, which are indicators of intestinal obstruction. Consequently, patients might experience weight loss and deteriorate into a cachectic state, marked by poor nutrition and significant weight loss, which are characteristic symptoms of late-stage patients.

home-news-image

Written by Liu Liang

Oncology

39sec

home-news-image

early symptoms of gastric cancer

The early symptoms of gastric cancer are similar to those of some gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis, gastric ulcers, or duodenal ulcers. They don't have very specific clinical manifestations. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen, and acid reflux-like symptoms, which are early symptoms in patients with gastric cancer. Therefore, when such symptoms appear, it is essential to seek medical attention promptly and undergo a thorough gastroscopy.