Discover comprehensive strategies for managing gastric cancer, including early detection and personalized treatment options like chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and advanced surgical techniques. This article offers insights into modern approaches to combat stomach cancer effectively.

Strategies for Effective Management of Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer, commonly called stomach cancer, results from abnormal growth of malignant cells in the stomach's lining. Early detection is difficult due to often subtle or absent symptoms, but prompt diagnosis is crucial to prevent spread to organs such as the liver, lungs, and bones. Treatment options depend on the cancer stage and may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, targeted treatments, and surgery, tailored to each individual.

Chemotherapy
This treatment involves potent drugs designed to kill cancer cells, often following surgical procedures to remove residual malignancies.

Doctors may combine chemotherapy with radiation or targeted therapy for advanced stages.

Radiation therapy
Using high-energy rays, this method aims to destroy tumor tissues and alleviate symptoms like bleeding. It may be applied before surgery to shrink tumors and make them easier to excise.

Immunotherapy
This approach boosts the body's immune response to fight cancer, employing specific drugs to block cancer cells' immune evasion mechanisms, useful in resistant or advanced cases.

Targeted therapy
Medications that attack specific genetic mutations or vulnerabilities in cancer cells, often combined with chemotherapy, are chosen based on tumor profiling to maximize effectiveness.

Surgical procedures
Various surgeries are performed to remove cancerous tissue, including:

Endoscopic resection
Early-stage or small tumors can be minimally invasively removed using techniques like EMR or ESD via endoscopy.

Partial gastrectomy
The affected part of the stomach, along with nearby tissues and lymph nodes, is surgically excised.

Total gastrectomy
In advanced cases, the entire stomach is removed, and the esophagus is connected to the small intestine to restore digestion.