Treatment Options
Treatment depends on the type and stage of a patient's cancer. Options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these treatments.
Surgery
Surgery for stomach cancer, called gastrectomy removes all or part of the stomach, as well as some of the tissue surrounding the stomach. Lymph nodes near the stomach are also removed and biopsied to check for cancer cells. Stomach lymphomas, more often than adenocarcinomas, are treated by gastrectomy. Only about one-third of stomach cancer cases can be treated and cured surgically.
Surgery may be recommended as part of your esophageal cancer treatment in order to accomplish one or more of these goals: preventative (or prophylactic) surgery, diagnostic surgery, staging surgery, curative surgery, debulking (or cytoreductive) surgery, palliative surgery, supportive surgery and restorative (or reconstructive) surgery.
Stamford Hospital is known for expertise in minimally invasive surgical techniques for the treatment of cancer. This includes utilizing the da Vinci Surgical Platform, which enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions and with unmatched precision. For our patients, the potential benefits of minimally invasive procedures include less pain, less blood loss and less need for blood transfusions. Moreover, it can result in a shorter hospital stay, a quicker recovery and faster return to normal daily activities.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and of the cancer being treated. It can serve as an alternative to surgery, be used in conjunction with chemotherapy, and can also be effective in relieving specific symptoms.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy.) Systemic chemotherapy is often given to advanced disease patients, and is being used more frequently as post-operative adjuvant therapy.
When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Treatment given before surgery is called neoadjuvant therapy. When given after surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy will kill any remaining cancer cells. Treatment given after the surgery is called adjuvant therapy.
In some instances, radiation therapy is employed simultaneously with chemotherapy, or in sequence with it. The newer targeted therapies, given either with chemotherapy or as single agents, have added to the overall effectiveness of cancer treatment.
For more information or to make an appointment please call
1-877-233-WELL (9355).