The statistics on stomach cancer mortality and quality of cancer treatment are different in different countries. In Western Europe, and in Germany specifically, the mortality rate is lower in comparison to the situation in other parts of the world. German medicine, and oncology in particular, has achieved great results in managing the disease. Local specialists successfully treat stomach cancer of different stages, and patients more and more often go into remission.
Content
- Treatment principles in Germany
- Treatment options for gastric cancer
- Surgery
- Conventional therapy
- Treatment of stomach cancer stage 4
- Prognosis
- Treatment with Booking Health
Treatment principles in Germany
Gastric cancer treatment in Germany is carried out after a comprehensive examination. Treatment tactics is determined taking into account all factors that may affect the prognosis of the pathology, including:
- The stage of cancer development
- The origin, localization, and type of the tumor
- The degree of differentiation of cancer cells and their potential sensitivity to different treatments
- Presence of concomitant diseases
- General health condition of patients
As a result, an individual program of medical measures is selected for each patient. With an individual approach, the chance of achieving a cure or prolonged remission using a particular method of treatment is assessed.
Besides, all German hospitals form a unified network, which provides the opportunity to conduct a panel medical discussion in cases that are especially complex in terms of diagnosis making and the choice of treatment tactics.
Treatment options for gastric cancer
The treatment of gastric cancer usually combines different medical procedures. If stomach cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the tumor usually can be removed by the means of surgery, without the risk of complications. For this, the most effective and safest option is the endoscopic resection. With this type of intervention, surgery is not performed traditionally (i.e. with a cut of the abdominal wall and the peritoneum). Patients tolerate endoscopic surgery better than a traditional one, and the rehabilitation takes less time than after the conventional surgery.
Endoscopic resection is not suitable for all cases of stomach cancer. If the tumor is diagnosed at the advanced stage, it must be removed in the traditional way. Often it is necessary to carry out a total gastrectomy, and even removal of the adjacent tissues and organs (e.g. spleen, part of the intestine, part of the liver). There may be even situations where gastric surgery is not enough, since the tumor has metastasized. In these cases, surgery is combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. As independent methods of treatment, they are recognized ineffective but can help, if used as a part of a complex therapeutic regimen.
German hospitals are constantly studying modern immunological methods for stomach cancer treatment and developing new medications that are effective in inhibiting the division of malignant cells. Immunotherapy affects the tumor exclusively, so there are virtually no side effects of treatment.
Stomach cancer treatment in Germany often leads to recovery. However, after surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, the body experiences significant stress. In order to cope with its consequences, medical programs are offered, thanks to which the body recovers quickly.
The most common stomach cancer treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
Stage 4 stomach cancer is treated with targeted therapy, immunotherapy, palliative radiation therapy and chemotherapy, palliative surgeries.
Surgery
At the first stage of pathology, when tumor is limited to the gastric mucosa, radical surgery is performed using endoscopic methods (i.e. excision of affected mucosa within healthy tissue boundaries). This approach allows physicians to reduce the severity of complications and achieve complete recovery in the shortest possible time.
Like many diseases, stomach cancer is completely asymptomatic at early stages. It is possible to detect gastric cancer at such stages (when treatment guarantees quick and relatively painless recovery from the pathology) only through regular preventive examinations.
At the advanced stages of the oncological disease, removal of part of the organ is indicated. This is called gastric resection. As a rule, this kind of intervention in German hospitals is performed using a minimally invasive method.
In case of significant tumor size, a total stomach resection is performed. In such cases, German surgeons recreate a biological stomach prosthesis from the intestinal loops in order to replace the functions of the lost organ. Afterwards, rehabilitation courses are indicated for patients to return to the usual activities of daily living.
If the process is widespread and radical surgery is no longer possible, limited surgical interventions are performed to improve the patient's quality of life. These include restoration of the patency of the digestive tract with anastomosis, endoscopic ablation of the tumor, etc.
Conventional therapy
If patients come to German hospitals at the second-third stage of stomach cancer, surgical methods of treatment will be supplemented with courses of chemotherapy, and in some cases – with combined chemo-radiotherapy.
Before surgery, chemotherapy courses can significantly reduce the size of the tumor, and in some cases even convert the inoperable form of cancer to treatable with surgery. If indicated, courses of intraoperative (introduction of cytostatics into the abdominal cavity directly during surgery) and postoperative chemotherapy are prescribed in order to reduce the risk of stomach cancer recurrence. In some cases, postoperative chemotherapy is combined with radiation therapy.
In patients with advanced disease, combined chemoradiation therapy is supplemented with immunotherapy. This is the latest method of treatment with a medicine that activates the immune system. If indicated, targeted medicine is used.
The latest high-quality medications reduce the total mass of tumor cells, which allows to achieve stabilization of the process, reduce the symptoms of cancer intoxication, eliminate the pain syndrome, extend the patient's life and improve its quality.
Treatment of stomach cancer stage 4
Stomach cancer stage 4 is not connected with the specific tumor volume. Stomach cancer stage 4 is identified in the development of distant metastases. Metastases, in turn, can cause new malignancies, so treatment of stomach cancer stage 4 is the most difficult medical task. In addition, diseases at such a stage usually affect many lymph nodes in different body regions.
Specialists have different opinions on the most efficient treatment tactics for stomach cancer stage 4. The ultimate goal of treatment of stomach cancer stage 4 is to prolong the patient's life and eliminate symptoms, since stage 4 gastric cancer in many cases is hard to manage.
In terms of methods, chemotherapy or radiation therapy is mostly used, but the main type of cancer care is chemotherapy. Different studies have shown that the use of palliative chemotherapy can improve the quality of life. Participation in clinical investigations may be considered as a treatment option as well. Read our blog for more information about treating stage 4 stomach cancer.
Prognosis
The gastric cancer prognosis is closely correlated with the time of its detection. For example, if diagnosed soon after the onset, the chance for the recovery is over 70%. However, the pathology is often detected by chance, when undergoing the examination for another reason. Even the second stage of stomach cancer is rarely diagnosed because it can have no clinical manifestations.
From the third stage on, the prognosis becomes unfavorable. It is diagnosed more frequently, but the chances for recovery are around 40%.
The manifestations of the fourth stage are severe, so most often the oncology is detected exactly at this stage (about 85% of cases). Since stage 4 is characterized by metastasizing, the recovery prognosis is poor and the condition itself progresses quickly. Thus, the question of how long one lives with terminal stomach cancer is possible to answer only after comprehensive examination is made.
Treatment with Booking Health
Nowadays, people from different parts of the world have the opportunity to undergo treatment in Germany.
Booking Health works directly with German hospitals specializing in oncology. Therefore, Booking Health will quickly and professionally arrange a consultation with leading specialists so that you can start your treatment in Germany.
With our help, you will be able to avoid stress during your trip and stay at the hospital. If needed, Booking Health will provide a medical interpreter to help you avoid communication problems.
We will choose a specialized hospital with the best recommendations and affordable prices, where you will get quality medical care, which, unfortunately, is not available in many countries yet. With it, the chance to get rid of the disease, significantly prolong life and improve health is high.
For more information, leave a request on the Booking Health website.
Authors:
This article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, and Dr. Bohdan Mykhalniuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
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Sources:
National Cancer Institute
Canadian Cancer Society
Web MD
