Stomach Cancer: Side Effects
posted in Cancer |It is very difficult to attack such a serious disease like cancer without undesirable effects to the patient. He tries to kill cancer cells without affecting healthy cells, something that is really complicated.
Side effects are different for each person and can even vary from one to another time. Although physicians have an eye on reducing these effects to a minimum, are sometimes unavoidable. The patient should have in detail any problems during therapy, and help the treatment be planned perfectly, taking into account the unpleasant effects as they arise.
SURGERY: The removal of all or part of the stomach, affects how to digest food. A man without a stomach must eat many times a day and in small quantities. You should also receive vitamin supplements as well not absorb some nutrients.
In the days following surgery, the patient is fed only through fluids given by vein. Gradually will be phased in a diet of liquids and soft foods later, which eventually will interspersed with more normal food.
Many individuals will need surgery on a special diet during the weeks following the operation and some of them must remain so for life.
It is desirable that a dietitian to advise them about how best to eat and what foods to avoid. Some patients may experience nausea, diarrhea or cramps if they eat fast or certain foods rich in sugars.
Also after gastrectomy bile may rise from the intestine into the esophagus causing quite often burning or indigestion.
Chemotherapy side effects depend on the type of drug that is administered and the dose used in each case. Besides influencing the patient’s particular sensibility.
Chemotherapeutic agents are only poisons that kill cells, what happens is that mainly affect cells that divide more rapidly, ie cancerous.
However, healthy cells can not help but be affected and the patient note. You can fall off the hair (the hair quickly multiply and therefore is more affected than other parts of the body). Also blood cells multiply rapidly and are affected by chemotherapy may appear anemia or a decrease in our defenses. The latter is important because in these stages of treatment the patient is weak and may suffer very serious infections that can be fatal or severely complicate treatment.
Other effects of chemotherapy are loss of appetite, weakness, nausea, vomiting, or sores in the mouth.
In most cases the doctor prescribes medication to prevent or reduce these side effects. Moreover, most of these problems disappear gradually when therapy is stopped.
RADIATION THERAPY when applied to the abdomen, as is the case in gastric cancer, can cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea that can be controlled with medication. The skin on implementing the beam can be irritated and appear similar to a burn injury, become red, itchy or convey unpleasant feelings of irritation.
It should avoid tight clothing during this period and the use of creams or lotions other than those prescribed by the doctor. Radiotherapy also produces a significant fatigue, even weeks after receiving the cycles. Adequate rest is important but not completely abandon the exercise.
IMMUNOTHERAPY: it is generally better tolerated. However, some patients may notice flu symptoms, low fever or chills, weakness, nausea, vomiting and occasionally diarrhea. It also may seem rash or tendency to develop bruises easily.