Is stomach cancer curable? | Stomach cancer

Is stomach cancer curable?

Whether a stomach cancer is curable depends on various factors. The time of diagnosis is decisive – the earlier the stomach cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of a cure. For example, the so-called 5-year survival rate in stage 1 (where the tumor has not yet spread to any secondary tumors or lymph nodes) is over 90%.

In the final stage 4 it is only just under 5%. This is due to the fact that in the treatment of stomach cancer, removal of the affected area of the stomach is the method of choice – if necessary with prior chemotherapy. If the tumor can be completely detected and removed, the chances of recovery are very good.

However, if tumor tissue remains, the cancer can grow again. If surgery is not possible or if metastases have already formed in other organs, it must be assumed that the cancer cannot usually be cured definitively. However, there is the possibility to keep the tumor “in check” for a longer period of time and thus prolong the patient’s life. Likewise, a relapse with a new tumor formation years later (so-called recurrence) is possible. The chances of recovery depend on the type of tumor and the time of diagnosis.

History

The course of a cancer disease is divided into different stages. The decisive factor here is how widespread the tumor already is and whether it has affected lymph nodes or other organs. If the stomach cancer is in its early stages, it is relatively small and only found in the superficial layers of the stomach lining.

If the tumor now starts to grow, it spreads in the stomach and also penetrates into deeper tissue layers of the stomach lining. Finally, it can also penetrate the peritoneum or the surrounding lymph nodes and reach other organs via the bloodstream, for example – this is known as distant metastasis (daughter tumors). In stages I-III, there are no distant metastases and only occasional lymph node infections.

The final stage IV is reached as soon as a metastasis is present. The course of the disease varies from patient to patient and is strongly dependent on how early therapy is started and how well it responds. If metastases are present, they trigger different complications depending on the organ affected.

For this reason, every affected patient should speak directly with his treating physician about the probable course of his disease. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible today to cure every form of stomach cancer. If one speaks of the final stage, one thinks that the cancer cannot be completely fought.

This can have several causes. Often the stomach cancer is detected too late and has already formed so-called metastases – that means that tumor cells have settled and are now forming daughter tumors in other organs. Also, some tumors may not be operable because they are too close to large blood vessels – or have even grown together with them – and thus removal is no longer possible.Likewise, some patients are no longer in a physical condition that makes an operation possible, for example because they suffer from serious concomitant diseases or their advanced age makes an operation too dangerous.

If a patient is in such a final stage of stomach cancer, the therapy no longer focuses on finally defeating the cancer, but rather on enabling the patient to live as long and pain-free a life as possible. This approach is sometimes referred to as palliative therapy. Palliative therapy consists of several pillars.

On the one hand, one tries to limit the growth of the cancer and thus to give the affected person as much time as possible, on the other hand, one tries to alleviate accompanying symptoms as much as possible. The latter often includes above all an individual pain therapy, since the stomach cancer, but also its possible daughter tumors, can cause severe pain. Likewise, accompanying symptoms such as heartburn and excessive bloating are reduced.

If complications such as the formation of abdominal fluid or acute gastric bleeding occur, these can also be treated – often as in-patients. As the disease progresses, patients require additional help with food intake. For example, the tumor can form a narrow spot in the stomach that can no longer be passed by food.

There are also several treatment options for this, which must be discussed and decided upon in close cooperation between the doctor, patient and relatives, so that the patient can live well with it in the long term. This often requires training for relatives and patients or the commissioning of a nursing service. In order to keep the tumor as small as possible for as long as possible, there are various options that can be discussed and selected individually with the treating physician.

The type of stomach cancer plays a decisive role in whether a therapy option is effective. Chemotherapy or radiation can be helpful. For a few tumors, there are now also drugs that work with specific antibodies and can therefore “attack” the tumor directly.

Finally, one should not forget the emotional burden of the disease. Hospitals often also offer psychological help and a social service that can help patients and their relatives with the further organization of care and similar problems. It is also possible to organize a place in a palliative care ward, where the patient can be given the most pleasant last period possible with the help of specialists.