Top Quality Stomach Cancer Treatment In India

Overview

Your stomach (along with the esophagus) is just one part of the upper section of your digestive tract. It is responsible for digesting food and then moving the nutrients to the rest of your digestive organs, namely the small and large intestines.

Stomach cancer occurs when normally healthy cells within the upper digestive system become cancerous and grow out of control, forming a tumor. This process generally happens slowly. Usually, stomach cancer develops over many years.

A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Although risk factors often influence the development of cancer, most do not directly cause cancer. Some people with several risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do. Knowing your risk factors and talking about them with your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health care choices.

The following factors may raise a person’s risk of developing stomach cancer:

• Stomach cancer occurs most commonly in people older than 55. Most people diagnosed with stomach cancer are in their 60s and 70s.
• Men are twice as likely to develop stomach cancer as women.
• A common bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, also called H. pylori, causes stomach inflammation and ulcers. It is also considered one of the main causes of stomach cancer. Testing for H. pylori is available and an infection can be treated with antibiotics. Testing for H. pylori is recommended if you have had a first-degree relative, such as a parent, sibling, or child, who has been diagnosed with stomach cancer or an H. pylori infection. Other family members could have it as well, and the infection should be treated if found.
• Family history/genetics. People who have a parent, child, or sibling who has had stomach cancer have a higher risk of the disease. In addition, certain inherited genetic disorders, such as hereditary diffuse gastric cancer, Lynch syndrome, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) may increase the risk of stomach cancer. Learn more about genetics and cancer.
• Race/ethnicity.Stomach cancer is more common in Black, Hispanic, and Asian people than in White people.
• Eating a diet high in salt has been linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer. This includes foods preserved by drying, smoking, salting, or pickling and foods high in added salt. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables may help lower the risk.
• Previous surgery or health conditions. People who have had stomach surgery, pernicious anemia, or achlorhydria have a higher risk of stomach cancer. Pernicious anemia happens when the stomach cannot take in enough vitamin B12. This causes a severe decrease in red blood cells. Achlorhydria is when there there is no hydrochloric acid in the gastric juices, which help digest food.
• Occupational exposure. Exposure to certain dusts and fumes may increase the risk of developing stomach cancer.
• Tobacco and alcohol.Tobacco use and drinking a lot of alcohol may increase the risk of developing stomach cancer.
• Excess body weight increases a man’s risk of developing stomach cancer. It is not clear whether obesity increases a woman’s risk of stomach cancer.

Symptoms of stomach cancer

• heartburn or abdominal pain
• nausea and/or vomiting
• tiredness
• unexplained weight loss
• swelling of the abdomen

Some have blood in their vomit or black stools from bleeding in their stomach.

Many of these symptoms are common in other conditions, such as an ulcer or an infection. This can make stomach cancer difficult to diagnose. If you have possible symptoms of stomach cancer that don’t get better, it’s important to see a doctor.

How is it diagnosed?

The cost of the evaluation to diagnose stomach cancer is around (500 USD–800 USD), approximately

Different tests are used to diagnose stomach cancer. Not all tests described here will be used for every person. Your doctor may consider these factors when choosing a diagnostic test:

• The type of cancer suspected
• Your signs and symptoms
• Your age and general health
• The results of earlier medical tests

In addition to a physical examination, the following tests may be used to diagnose stomach cancer:

• A biopsy is the only way to make a definite diagnosis, even if other tests can suggest that cancer is present. During biopsy, a small amount of tissue is removed for examination under a microscope. A pathologist analyzes the sample(s). A pathologist is a doctor who specializes in interpreting laboratory tests and evaluating cells, tissues, and organs to diagnose disease.

• Biomarker testing of the tumor. Your doctor may recommend running laboratory tests on a tumor sample to identify specific genes, proteins, and other factors unique to the tumor. This may also be called molecular testing of the tumor. Results of these tests can help determine your treatment options.

For stomach cancer, testing may be done for PD-L1 and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H), which may also be called a mismatch repair deficiency. Testing can also be done to determine if the tumor is making too much of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), particularly if the cancer is more advanced. These tests’ results help doctors determine if immunotherapy is a treatment option.

• Endoscopy. An endoscopy allows the doctor to see the inside of the body with a thin, lighted, flexible tube called a gastroscope or endoscope. The person may be sedated as the tube is inserted through the mouth, down the esophagus, and into the stomach and small bowel. Sedation is giving medication to become more relaxed, calm, or sleepy. The doctor can remove a sample of tissue as a biopsy during an endoscopy and check it for signs of cancer.

• Endoscopic ultrasound.This test is similar to an endoscopy, but the gastroscope has a small ultrasound probe on the end. An ultrasound uses sound waves to create a picture of the internal organs. An ultrasound image of the stomach wall helps doctors determine how far the cancer has spread into the stomach and nearby lymph nodes, tissue, and organs, such as the liver or adrenal glands.

• X-ray.An x-ray is a way to create a picture of the structures inside of the body using a small amount of radiation.

• Barium swallow. In a barium swallow, a person swallows a liquid containing barium, and a series of x-rays are taken. Barium coats the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines, so tumors or other abnormalities are easier to see on the x-ray.

Stomach cancer surgery

The cost of stomach cancer surgery in India is approximately (10000 USD – 12000 USD) approximately.

Surgery is a first-line treatment for stomach cancer. Surgery may also be necessary if the stomach cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The care team may consider several types of surgery  to treat stomach cancer, based on the patient’s specific stomach cancer type.

Subtotal (partial) gastrectomy

In this operation, only part of the stomach is removed. This is often recommended if the cancer is only in the lower part of the stomach (in which case it is known as a distal gastrectomy). It might also be used for cancers that are only in the upper part of the stomach (in which case it is known as a proximal gastrectomy).

Part of the stomach is removed, sometimes along with part of the esophagus (in a proximal gastrectomy) or the first part of the small intestine (in a distal gastrectomy). The remaining section of stomach is then reattached. Some of the omentum (an apron-like layer of fatty tissue that covers the stomach and intestines) is removed as well, along with nearby lymph nodes. If the cancer has reached the spleen or parts of other nearby organs, these are removed as well.

Eating is much easier after surgery if only part of the stomach is removed instead of the entire stomach.

Total gastrectomy

This operation is done if the cancer has spread widely in the stomach. It is also often advised if the cancer is in the upper part of the stomach, near the esophagus.

The surgeon removes the entire stomach, nearby lymph nodes, and the omentum, and may remove the spleen and parts of the esophagus, intestines, pancreas, or other nearby organs if the cancer has reached them. The end of the esophagus is then attached to part of the small intestine. This allows food to move down the intestinal tract. But people who have had their stomach removed can only eat a small amount of food at a time. Because of this, they will need to eat more often.

Surgical approaches to subtotal or total gastrectomy

Most subtotal and total gastrectomies are done through a large incision (cut) in the skin of the abdomen (belly). This is sometimes referred to as an open surgical approach.

In some centers, these operations are done as a laparoscopic gastrectomy, in which long, thin surgical instruments (including one with a small video camera on the end) are inserted into the abdomen through several small cuts. Some surgeons do these operations using robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (sometimes just called robotic surgery). In this technique, the surgeon sits at a control panel and moves robotic arms that have laparoscopic instruments on the ends.

Although the laparoscopic approach (including robotic surgery) might result in a shorter hospital stay, less pain after the operation, and a shorter recovery time (because of the smaller incisions), many doctors feel that this technique needs to be studied further before it can be considered a standard treatment for stomach cancer.

No matter which approach is used, it’s important that your surgeon is skilled and experienced with the technique.

Gastric bypass (gastrojejunostomy)

Tumors in the lower part of the stomach may eventually grow large enough to block food from leaving the stomach. For people healthy enough for surgery, one option to help prevent or treat this is to bypass the lower part of the stomach. This is done by attaching part of the small intestine (the jejunum) to the upper part of the stomach, which allows food to leave the stomach through the new connection.

Subtotal gastrectomy

For some people who are healthy enough for surgery, removing the part of the stomach with the tumor can help treat problems such as bleeding, pain, or the tumor blocking the passage of food through the stomach, even if the surgery does not cure the cancer. Because the goal is not to cure the cancer, nearby lymph nodes and parts of other organs usually do not need to be removed.

Feeding tube placement

Some people with stomach cancer aren’t able to eat or drink enough to get adequate nutrition. A minor operation can be done to place a feeding tube through the skin of the abdomen and into the lower part of the stomach (known as a gastrostomy tube or G tube) or into the small intestine (jejunostomy tube or J tube). Liquid nutrition can then be put directly into the tube.

Possible complications and side effects of surgery

Surgery for stomach cancer is complex and can have complications. These can include bleeding from the surgery, blood clots, and damage to nearby organs during the operation. Rarely, the new connections made between the ends of the stomach, esophagus, and small intestine may leak.

Surgical techniques have improved in recent years, so only a very small percentage of people die from surgery for stomach cancer. The chance of this happening is higher when the operation is more extensive, such as when other organs are removed, but it is lower in the hands of highly skilled surgeons.

You will not be allowed to eat or drink anything for at least a few days after a total or subtotal gastrectomy. This is to give the digestive tract time to heal and to make sure there are no leaks in parts that have been connected together during the operation.

Side effects after surgery can include nausea, heartburn, abdominal (belly) pain, and diarrhea, particularly after eating. These side effects result from the fact that once part or all of the stomach is removed, food enters the intestines much more quickly after eating. These side effects might get better over time, but for some people they might not. Your doctor might prescribe medicines to help with them.

Changes in your diet will be needed after a partial or total gastrectomy. The biggest change is that you will need to eat smaller, more frequent meals. The amount of stomach removed will affect how much you need to change the way you eat.

Some people might have trouble taking in enough nutrition after surgery for stomach cancer. Further treatment like chemotherapy and radiation after surgery can make this problem worse. To help with this, a tube is sometimes placed into the intestine, either at the time of the surgery or afterward. The other end of this tube, called a jejunostomy tube or J tube, remains outside of the skin on the abdomen. Liquid nutrition can be put directly through this tube into the intestine to help prevent or treat malnutrition.

The stomach helps the body absorb some vitamins, so people who have had a subtotal or total gastrectomy might develop vitamin deficiencies. If certain parts of the stomach are removed, doctors routinely prescribe vitamin supplements, some of which can only be injected.

It cannot be stressed enough that you should make sure your surgeon is experienced in treating stomach cancer and able to perform the most up-to-date operations to reduce your risk of complications.