Treatment of Stomach Cancer
Treating cancer requires more than one therapy. Oftentimes, doctors use different types of therapies to treat the cancer. These include [8]
Radiation therapy:
Radiation is another way to treat stomach cancer. Radiation consists of x-rays and other particles that damages the DNA of the cancer cells and cause them to die. Radiation is an effective method to treat cancer, when the tumor can’t be removed and has spread over a wide area. It can also be of use when the tumor cannot be approached because of its location. No matter the effectiveness of the radiation therapy, it also destroys the healthy cells along with cancerous cells because it consists of a higher dose of x-rays.
There are two types of radiation therapy:
- External beam therapy:
External radiation consists of radiation targeted towards the tumor from the outside in order to destroy the cancerous cells. There are many different types of external radiation therapy for example, proton therapy, 3DCRT which hits the cancerous cells from every direction and many different angles. In most cases of stomach cancer, external radiation therapy is used.
- Internal radiation therapy:
In this therapy a radioactive material is placed inside the body near the cancer site, in order to kill the cancerous cells.
Some common side effects of radiation therapy are:
- Hair loss
- Fatigue
- Vomiting and nausea
- Low blood count