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Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs that are injected into a
vein or given by mouth as pills. These drugs enter the bloodstream and
reach all areas of the body, making this treatment useful for cancer
that has spread to organs beyond the stomach.
Chemotherapy may be given as the primary (main) treatment for
stomach cancer that has spread to distant organs. It may help relieve
symptoms for some patients, especially those with spread (metastases)
to other areas of the body. It may also help some patients live longer.
Chemotherapy is also used as an adjuvant treatment (given
after
surgery) along with radiation therapy for some stages of stomach
cancer. This combination is called chemoradiation. It may delay cancer
recurrence and extend the life span of people with less advanced
stomach cancer, especially if their cancer could not be removed
completely by surgery.
The use of chemotherapy as a neoadjuvant treatment (given
before
surgery) in some situations is still being studied.
Chemotherapy for
stomach cancer may use one drug such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which is
often combined with radiation therapy. Or chemotherapy may use several
drugs combined. The most commonly used drugs are 5-FU, doxorubicin,
methotrexate, etoposide, and cisplatin. Other drugs that may be helpful
are docetaxel, irinotecan, capecitabine, and oxaliplatin. It is not yet
clear which drugs or combinations of drugs work best against stomach
cancer.
Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells but also damage some
normal cells,
which can lead to side effects. The type of side effects depends on the
type of drugs, the amount taken, and the length of treatment.
Short-term side effects might include nausea and vomiting, loss of
appetite, hair loss, diarrhea, and mouth sores. Because chemotherapy
can damage the bone marrow, where new blood cells are made, your blood
cell counts might become low. This can result in:
- increased chance of infection (due to a shortage of white
blood
cells)
- bleeding or bruising after minor cuts or injuries (due to a
shortage
of platelets)
- fatigue and shortness of breath (due to low red blood cell
counts)
Most side effects go away once treatment is stopped. For
example, hair
will usually grow back after treatment ends.
It is important to talk to
your doctor or nurse about any side effects you have. There are
treatments that can help reduce them or make them go away. For example,
drugs can be given to help to prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting.
Targeted
therapies: Newer drugs, which target specific parts of
cancer
cells, are now being tested against stomach cancer. Some of these are
discussed in more detail in the section "What's New in Stomach Cancer
Research and Treatment?"
Revised: 04/23/2007
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