Gastric cancer treatment - main methods and their cost

Treatment of stomach cancer is always possible, regardless of its stage and location.

The main goal of gastric cancer therapy is to cure the disease or reduce its symptoms, such as difficulty eating, severe pain or bleeding, as well as to prevent further progression of the disease and improve the quality of life. Gastric cancer treatment is performed by an oncologist using the most effective and modern methods of therapy.

Effective treatment of stomach cancer

Effective treatment of stomach cancer begins with a full examination, which includes gastroscopy, biopsy, ultrasound, tomography, laparoscopy and fluoroscopy. Based on the results obtained during diagnostics, doctors determine the treatment tactics. The effectiveness of the treatment will depend on accurate and timely diagnostics and correctly selected therapy. Sometimes it is possible to do without surgery and undergo treatment using chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The main thing in achieving a positive result is optimism and a good attitude; many cope with this terrible disease and lead a full life.

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Treatment methods for stomach cancer

Treatment methods for stomach cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Very often, several methods of therapy are used to achieve a more effective result. As a rule, surgical treatment is the main method, and radiation and chemotherapy are auxiliary.

The methods and duration of therapy for stomach cancer are determined by the doctor on an individual basis. The choice of treatment methods is influenced by a number of factors:

• tumor localization,
• stage of cancer,
• general condition,
• patient's age.

The results of therapy will depend on its timely detection and determination of the stage of the cancer process.

Drugs for the treatment of stomach cancer

Drugs for the treatment of stomach cancer are used as chemotherapy:

• have a destructive effect on tumor cells,
• slow down the proliferation of cancer cells,
• prevent the progression of the disease,
• reduce the percentage of metastases, thereby preventing the recurrence of stomach cancer.

But these drugs slow down the growth of not only cancer cells, but also healthy ones. This results in side effects such as hair loss, nausea, vomiting, weakness, etc. After the end of the chemotherapy, the functioning of healthy cells is restored and side effects disappear.

Drugs for the treatment of stomach cancer can be prescribed in the form of tablets, injections into a vein and intraperitoneally after surgery. The regimen and duration of drug use depend on the characteristics of each drug. Combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs are often used, since the effectiveness of monotherapy is from 5 to 25%, and combination therapy - from 40 to 50%. Remissions after the use of chemotherapy alone are usually short-lived - from three to four months.

Drugs for the treatment of stomach cancer may be prescribed:

• before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor and then perhaps the surgical treatment will be easier,
• after radical surgery, with the aim of affecting micrometastases that remain after surgical removal of the primary tumor and macrometastases (primarily in the lymph nodes).

List of drugs used in therapy:

1. Antimetabolites:
   • Fluorofur,
   • 5-fluorouracil,
   • Methotrexate,
2. Antibiotics:
   • Epirubicin,
   • Mitomycin C,
3. Platinum derivatives:
   • Cisplatin,
   • Carboplatin.
   • Taxanes:
   • Docetaxel,
   • Taxotere
4. Topoisomerase inhibitors:
   • Topotecan,
   • Campto (Irinotecan).
5. Podophyllotoxin derivatives:
   • Etoposide,
   • Teniposide.
6. Nitrosourea derivatives:
   • Carmustine,
   • Lomustine.

The success of using chemotherapeutic agents lies in their combined use. The following combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs can be used in the treatment of stomach cancer:

1. 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m2 ^- 1, 8, 29 and 36 days) + Doxorubicin (30 mg/m2 ^- intravenously on days 1 and 29) + Metamycin C (10 mg/m2 ^on the first day). The course of therapy is repeated every eight weeks.
2. Methotrexate (1500 mg/ ^m2 infusion over half an hour on day 1) + 5-fluorouracil (1500 mg/m2 ^infusion over half an hour on day 1 after methotrexate administration) + Leucovorin (30 mg intravenously or orally every 24 hours after methotrexate administration every six hours, eight doses) + Doxorubicin (30 mg/m2 ^{intravenously} on day 15). The course of repeated treatment is carried out on day 22.
3. Etoposide (120 mg/ ^m2 intravenously on days 4, 5 and 6) + Doxorubicin (20 mg/ ^m2 intravenously on days 1 and 7) + Cisplatin (40 mg/ ^m2 intravenously on days 2 and 8). Re-therapy course – on day 29.

There are many more schemes of combined therapy of stomach cancer with chemotherapeutic drugs. The combination of drugs and their dosages is selected by the doctor individually for each patient.

Treatment of stomach cancer in Israel

Treatment of stomach cancer in Israel is carried out at a high level. Israeli clinics use the latest methods and the most modern equipment, which allows treating stomach cancer regardless of the stage of the disease.

Leading Israeli clinics where stomach cancer treatment is performed:

1. Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (formerly Ichilov Hospital).
2. International Cancer Treatment Center "STS".
3. Assuta Hospital, Tel Aviv.
4. Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva.
5. Wolfson Clinic,
6. Sheba Hospital, Ramat Gan.
7. Adassa Clinic.
8. Medical center "Asaf Harofeh".

Variations in gastric cancer treatment methods in Israeli clinics depending on the stage of the process.

1. Stage 1 stomach cancer - possible treatment options:
   • Surgical intervention – total gastrectomy or subtotal resection.
   • Surgical intervention – gastrectomy or subtotal resection + radiation therapy.
   • Surgical intervention – total gastrectomy or subtotal resection + chemotherapy.
   • Surgical intervention – total gastrectomy or subtotal resection + chemotherapy + radiation therapy.
2. Gastric cancer stage II and III:
   • Surgical intervention – gastrectomy or subtotal resection.
   • Surgical intervention – total gastrectomy or subtotal resection + radiation therapy.
   • Surgical intervention – total gastrectomy or subtotal resection + chemotherapy.
   • Surgical intervention – gastrectomy or subtotal resection + chemotherapy + radiation therapy.
   • For inoperable cancer – radiation therapy + chemotherapy.
3. Stage IV gastric cancer and recurrence of cancer:
   • Chemotherapy as palliative treatment.
   • Chemotherapy + immunotherapy.
   • Radiation therapy as palliative treatment.
   • Surgery as palliative therapy.

Endoluminal laser therapy or stenting in the situation of blockage of the entrance or exit of the stomach by a tumor.

The price range for stomach cancer treatment in Israeli medical centers ranges from $35,000 to $60,000.

The cost of therapy also includes mandatory examination:

• Conducting general laboratory tests, including determination of tumor markers – $700 - $850.
• Revision of previous biopsy results (be sure to bring slides and block with you) – $500 - $680.
• Conducting a positron emission tomography scan of the body to detect metastases costs about $2,000.
• Histochemical and histopathological examination of a biopsy sample - about $790.
• Gastroscopy with repeat biopsy - $1,550 - $1,650.
• If necessary, additional histopathological examination is performed – determination of receptors to Herceptin – about $350.
• Consultation with an abdominal oncologist surgeon following examination results - approximately $550.
• Consultation with a gastro-oncologist - $600.

Prices depending on the methods of treatment of stomach cancer:

• Preoperative laparoscopic examination (combined with abdominal ultrasound) - about $6,000.
• Open or partial or total laparoscopic gastrectomy (price includes six days in the hospital) - $20,000 - $35,000 and up (total gastrectomy can cost $40,000 - $50,000).
• Express examination of a biopsy of stomach tissue and lymph nodes obtained during surgery (to determine the boundaries of the tumor, completely remove it and preserve the healthy part of the stomach) - about $2,500.
• Surgical materials (scalpel, biological glue, etc.) – up to $6,400.
• Final histopathological and histochemical examination of the removed tumor – up to $1,500.
• Additional consultation with a gastro-oncologist (after discharge, to determine further treatment) – $300.
• Dietitian consultation (after discharge) - $460.

The examination in medical centers in Israel takes place, on average, within four working days. After that, methods and a treatment regimen for stomach cancer are selected, which depends on the prevalence of the tumor process.

• If the tumor process has not expanded beyond the stomach or has metastasized only to the lymph nodes of the stomach, then gastrectomy is performed. After surgery, the patient must stay in Israel for two weeks for observation.
• If metastases are detected in other organs, chemotherapy is prescribed. The drugs are selected starting with the establishment of receptors to Herceptin. After three to six chemotherapy courses - a seven-day or three-week cycle, a repeated positron emission tomography of metastases is performed and an abdominal surgeon is consulted to determine the possible scope of surgical intervention. With selected chemotherapy, the cost of the basic drug is on average $ 1,325.

The cost of radiation therapy in medical centers in Israel starts from $12,000, depending on the number of radiation fields and simulations.

When undergoing gastric cancer therapy in Israel, it is necessary to take into account additional expenses for flights, accommodation, food, and possible additional examination methods. Also, if necessary, an additional day of stay in the clinic will average $950.

Treatment of stomach cancer in Germany

Treatment of stomach cancer in Germany is also one of the most effective not only in Europe, but also in the whole world. In clinics of Germany new methods and means of diagnostics, radiation, drug and combined therapy of cancer are carried out and developed. Leading clinics of Germany, where therapy of stomach cancer is carried out:

1. Gastroenterology Clinic "Josefinum", Munich.
2. Medical Center Isar, Munich.
3. University Hospital, Regensburg and Freiburg
4. Clinic for General, Abdominal and Tumor Surgery, Munich.
5. Oncology Center of the University Hospital, Munich.
6. Private clinic for the treatment of oncology and chronic diseases, Berlin.
7. Vivantes Radiotherapy Clinic, Berlin.
8. Oncology Center of the University Hospital, Ulm.

Treatment methods for stomach cancer in Germany include:

• Surgical intervention,
• Chemotherapy,
• Radiation therapy,
• Combination treatment,
• Immunotherapy,
• Treatments with stem cells and enzymatic agents.

The cost of complex therapy for stomach cancer in medical centers in Germany ranges from 25,000 to 41,000 euros, including a full diagnosis:

• Surgery and rehabilitation (ten days) – 9,000 - 18,000 euros.
• Partial gastrectomy (eight days) – 2,000 - 3,500 euros.
• Total or extended gastrectomy with removal of lymph nodes and spleen (ten days) – 3,000 - 4,500 euros.
• One course of chemotherapy (5 days) – from 1,000 to 6,000 euros.
• One course of radiation therapy (fourteen to twenty days) – from 8,000 to 17,000 euros.
• Full diagnostics – from 2,500 to 9,500 euros.

A comprehensive examination takes from two to three working days, and the entire period of comprehensive therapy takes an average of twenty days.

Surgical treatment of stomach cancer

Surgical treatment of stomach cancer is the main method of therapy for this pathology. Its main task is to remove all tumor tissue. The scope of surgical intervention for stomach cancer is determined by:

• the spread of the tumor process in the stomach,
• stage of damage to regional lymph nodes,
• the presence of distant metastases.

Types of surgery for stomach cancer:

• Proximal subtotal gastrectomy – is performed if the tumor is localized in the area of the entrance of the stomach. Sometimes this operation removes three quarters of the stomach, fatty tissue located around it with lymph nodes.
• Distal subtotal gastrectomy – is performed if the tumor is localized in the area of the outlet (lower) section of the stomach. During this operation, three quarters of the stomach, the fatty tissue located around it with lymph nodes are also removed.
• Gastrectomy – the stomach is completely removed along with the adjacent parts of the duodenum and esophagus. This type of surgical intervention is performed if the body of the stomach is affected or if there is infiltrative tumor growth, when it completely grows into all the walls of the stomach (in all its parts).

Removal of lymph nodes in stomach cancer reduces the risk of metastases, since the route of their spread is lymphatic.

There are some conditions in gastric cancer in which surgical intervention is contraindicated due to its ineffectiveness and high risk of complications. Thus, contraindications to surgical intervention in gastric cancer are:

• Remote metastases in the lungs, liver, supraclavicular lymph nodes (Virchow's metastasis).
• Spread of metastases to the bladder (Schnitzler metastasis), rectum and ovary (Krukenberg metastasis).
• Significant exhaustion and poisoning by substances from tumor decay and its growth, the so-called cancer cachexia.
• Severe ascites is the accumulation of a large amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
• The presence of severe concomitant diseases.

Symptomatic treatment of stomach cancer

Symptomatic treatment of stomach cancer is intensive care for a cancer patient at the stage of the disease when tumor therapy is ineffective. In such cases, symptomatic treatment is aimed at eliminating pain and other somatic manifestations, and psychological, spiritual and social assistance is of primary importance.

The goal of symptomatic therapy is to provide the most satisfactory living conditions with a minimally favorable prognosis. However, the need for symptomatic treatment arises in all cancer patients. Even in the case of the first stage of stomach cancer, severe depression is possible, requiring medical assistance.

Symptomatic therapy can be conditionally divided into specific and non-specific.

Non-specific therapy:

1. A surgical intervention that is not aimed at removing a tumor or metastases, but with the aim of improving the patient's life. For example, if there is a narrowing in the outlet of the stomach (pyloric stenosis), an anastomosis is made between the small intestine and the stomach so that food passes better. If the initial (cardiac) section of the stomach is narrowed:
   • they perform bougienage, i.e. they mechanically expand this section of the stomach using special thick probes;
   • gastrostomy - an opening is made in the area of the anterior abdominal wall, connecting the stomach with the outside environment. Food is introduced through this opening.
2. Medicinal (painkillers, antiemetics, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc.).

Specific therapy:

1. Conducting a sanitizing operation is a non-radical removal of the tumor.
2. Radiation therapy (as a pain reliever).
3. Cytostatic therapy (for metastasis to the brain).

Clinical symptoms and syndromes that require symptomatic treatment.

1. Pain syndrome:
   • Mild in nature. For such pains, non-opioid analgesics are used - ibuprofen, dicloberl, paracetamol, etc.
   • Moderate pain requires the administration of mild opioid analgesics – codeine, tramadol, etc.
   • Very severe pain requires the use of strong opioid analgesics – fentanyl, morphine, buprenorphine, etc.
2. Cachexia resulting from malnutrition, due to disturbances in the passage of food through the digestive tract and the absorption of nutrients.
   • Anti-inflammatory therapy, antispasmodics, etc. are used.
   • Also, if necessary, a gastrostomy and gastrointestinal anastomoses are applied to facilitate the passage of food.
   • In case of impaired absorption of nutrients, gastric juice, enzymatic and choleretic agents are prescribed.
   • Detoxification therapy is often prescribed.
   • If it is impossible to take food, parenteral nutrition is prescribed - water, glucose, protein and fat emulsions.
   • General tonics are used – vitamins (C, group B, PP, A, E), cocarboxylase.
3. Anorexia is a decrease or lack of appetite due to cancer intoxication, often accompanying stomach cancer. Therapy for anorexia is aimed at stimulating appetite:
   • infusions of herbs: centaury, wormwood, oregano, trefoil;
   • spices – cumin, mint, cinnamon, ginger;
   • beer and wine;
   • natural gastric juice;
   • drinks – kvass, fermented milk products.
4. If the cause of decreased appetite is high temperature, then it is necessary to take antipyretic drugs - amidopyrine, reopyrin.
5. Renal or hepatic failure, which often accompany terminal stages of cancer, require detoxification therapy.
6. Treatment of nausea and vomiting - antiemetics and prevention of dehydration.
7. Correction of the psycho-emotional state of a cancer patient – work with a psychologist, prescription of antidepressants (amitriptyline).

Symptomatic treatment has an indirect effect on the tumor process and is aimed at eliminating severe symptoms of cancer.

Palliative treatment of gastric cancer

Palliative treatment of stomach cancer is a therapy aimed not at curing the patient, but at providing him with the most favorable conditions for life by eliminating symptoms that cause suffering. The essence of palliative therapy is the partial removal of the tumor in order to delay its growth, reduce its mass and prevent complications. After partial removal of the tumor, conditions arise for influencing it with other methods, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Palliative surgical interventions are carried out when the tumor is inoperable due to the presence of multiple metastases or it is technically impossible to remove the affected area. Palliative treatment is carried out under duress - due to vital indications (for example, bleeding).

Folk treatment of stomach cancer

Folk treatment of stomach cancer should not be carried out independently, since it is unjustified. Folk medicine can be used to increase the body's defenses and eliminate possible side effects - pain, nausea, vomiting and only under the supervision of the attending physician. Since self-medication can worsen the course of the disease. Folk treatment involves the use of various herbs in the form of tinctures, decoctions, infusions, juice, etc.

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Treatment of stomach cancer with herbs

Treatment of stomach cancer with herbs is the use of both a collection of herbs and each herb separately. The most effective herbs in the treatment of stomach cancer are considered to be celandine, hemlock, propolis, wormwood, calendula, calamus and burdock. It is believed that a more pronounced effect will be observed from the use of a collection of herbs.

• Herbal collection – calamus root (10 grams) + cobwebby burdock inflorescences (25 grams) + cobwebby burdock root (35 grams) + field budiac inflorescences (50 grams) + black poplar buds (5 grams). This mixture is poured with a liter of boiling water, cooled, filtered and consumed in a glass at least four times a day.

You can also use an infusion of wormwood - 30 grams of crushed wormwood is poured with boiling water - half a liter and infused for two hours - this is the daily dose. Take half a glass half an hour before meals.

Treatment of stomach cancer with celandine

Treatment of stomach cancer with celandine is one of the effective folk remedies in cancer therapy. Celandine for this pathology can be used in the form of infusions, tinctures, decoctions or juice. Celandine has a destructive effect on tumor cells, relieves spasms, eliminates pain and restores damaged tissue. The following celandine recipes are used in the treatment of stomach cancer:

• Using a decoction of celandine - pour 200-300 ml of boiling water over 15 grams of celandine herb, then heat in a water bath for fifteen minutes. Then squeeze and add water to make one glass. Drink one third of a glass half an hour before meals, three times a day - 10 days. Then - a break for ten days and continue treatment for 14 days, then - a break for 14 days, and then therapy again for seven days. There should be two or three courses.
• Application of celandine tincture - pour 250-300 milliliters of 96° alcohol over a liter of celandine juice. Take 15 grams four times a day before meals for a month, then take a ten-day break and continue therapy again. And do this for three to three and a half months.
• You can prepare a tincture from a mixture of celandine (one part tincture) + peppermint tincture (three parts) + rosehip syrup (six parts). Take 30 grams three times a day before meals 15-20 minutes before. The course of therapy is two to three weeks.

If stomach cancer is not cured after taking celandine, it is recommended to take hemlock.

Treatment of stomach cancer with hemlock

Treatment of stomach cancer with hemlock is one of the few currently popular means that can be effective in the treatment of oncological diseases. For the treatment of stomach cancer, hemlock tincture is used, which is a natural chemotherapeutic agent that can stop the growth of cancer cells and also causes their destruction. Hemlock herb contains an alkaloid substance - coniine, as a result of which it has both medicinal and poisonous properties, which requires caution when using it and taking it in recommended dosages.

The alkaloid substance of hemlock, coniine, is antigenic for the body and when it enters the blood, it causes specific immune reactions, which are accompanied by the production of specific proteins - antibodies. Antibodies fight the antigen - coniine and simultaneously destroy cancer cells, which are also antigens. There is an opinion that antibodies most effectively destroy free cancer cells, namely metastasizing ones, therefore the use of hemlock is especially indicated in the late stages of stomach cancer - with numerous distant metastases.

You can buy hemlock tincture or make it yourself. The recipe for making hemlock tincture yourself is as follows: collect the inflorescences and green seeds of hemlock. Then two thirds of the collected hemlock material is poured with one third of 60% alcohol, tightly closed and left in a dark, cool place for three weeks, or even more - four. After this, the tincture is filtered and therapy begins.

Or you can pour ten grams of the herb with 200 or 250 ml of vodka and leave it for ten days.

Methods of using hemlock tincture:

• Start taking the tincture with 1 drop, increasing the dose by 1 drop every day. It is necessary to monitor the patient's well-being until the first symptoms of poisoning appear, after which the dose is reduced by two to five drops and taken until the symptoms disappear, then it is necessary to increase the dosage again. Usually the increased dose is 40 drops per day. The number of cycles of taking the tincture is unlimited - after forty days of taking it, take a break for seven to ten days. I take the hemlock tincture with water - for every thirteen drops - one hundred milliliters of water.

For weakened patients, the dosage of the tincture is 15-18 drops per day one hour before meals. If signs of poisoning appear - nausea, diarrhea, dizziness - the dosage is reduced to one drop, after the signs of intoxication disappear, the dosage is increased again.

• On the first day, take five drops of the tincture, then increase the dose by one drop daily and reach 30 drops. Then, reduce the dose from 30 drops to five. Take the tincture once a day forty minutes before meals. Always take the tincture with water - up to thirteen drops - one hundred milliliters of water, from thirteen and above - 150 ml of water.

It should be noted that for very weakened and operated people, you can stop and not increase the dose of the tincture after you feel an improvement in your condition and continue to use it at the dose that made you feel better.

In case of hemlock poisoning, it is recommended to drink strong coffee.

Treatment of stomach cancer with propolis

Treatment of stomach cancer with propolis is recommended by folk medicine after surgery and chemotherapy. Propolis has a unique property - it has a selective destructive effect only on cancer cells, which makes it effective in the treatment of stomach cancer. According to scientific research, after using propolis in cancer patients, the following is noted:

• improving overall well-being,
• increased appetite and improved gastrointestinal function,
• restoration of working capacity,
• normalization of sleep,
• increasing the body's immune system,
• improving the quality and prolonging life.

Methods of using propolis for stomach cancer:

• Every day before meals, about four times a day, chew a ball of dry propolis (two to five grams) without drinking water. Use for two months.
• 10% or 20% propolis extract, take forty drops diluted in 50 milliliters of water three to four times a day before meals. The course of therapy is one month.
• Use of propolis water, which you can prepare yourself. Propolis is crushed and poured with boiled water one to two, kept in a water bath for fifteen to twenty minutes at a temperature no higher than eighty degrees, stirring constantly. Then strain and drink five grams twice a day for two weeks. The course is repeated after a month if necessary. Water can be stored for three months in a dark place.
• Application of propolis milk - half a liter of milk is brought to a boil and crushed propolis is added - 30-50 grams, kept on low heat for about ten minutes, filtered, cooled, the wax layer is removed and poured into a dark container. Use three grams twenty minutes before meals.
• You can use propolis oil five grams with ten grams of milk thirty minutes before meals, three times a day.

Treatment of stomach cancer by Shevchenko method

Treatment of stomach cancer by the Shevchenko method involves using a mixture that can be prepared at home - 30 ml of unrefined sunflower oil is mixed with 30 ml of vodka (40% alcohol), the mixture is vigorously shaken for five minutes and drunk very quickly so that the mixture does not separate into alcohol and oil. If the therapeutic effect is insufficient, the dosage of the components can be increased - 35 + 35 or 40 ml + 40 ml.

The mixture prepared by the Shevchenko method is drunk before meals twenty minutes at equal intervals, but not earlier than 5-6 hours. The course of therapy is ten days, then a five-day break and again therapy with the mixture, and thus two times in a row. After the third time of treatment with the mixture, a break is made for 14 days. This is one course of therapy for stomach cancer by the Shevchenko method. Such courses should be carried out one after another for two or three years in a row until complete recovery.

Treatment of 1 – 3 stages of stomach cancer

Treatment of stages 1–3 of stomach cancer involves surgical intervention – gastric resection or gastrectomy (complete removal of the stomach). The scope of the operation – total or subtotal resection – is determined by surgical oncologists and is determined by the location of the tumor and its size. To prevent relapse of the disease, chemotherapy or radiation therapy is often prescribed after surgery.

Treatment options for stomach cancer depending on the stage.

1. Stage 1 stomach cancer:
   • The surgical intervention is subtotal gastrectomy – the stomach and nearby lymph nodes are partially removed.
   • The operation – gastrectomy – completely removes the stomach, surrounding tissues and regional lymph nodes.
   • Surgery (total or subtotal resection) + chemotherapy.
2. Stages 2 and 3 of stomach cancer:
   • Surgical treatment is subtotal resection.
   • Surgical intervention - complete removal of the stomach.
   • Chemotherapy.
   • Surgery + chemotherapy.
   • Gastrectomy + chemotherapy + radiation therapy.

Symptomatic therapy is also carried out – elimination of depression (work with a psychologist), dyspeptic syndrome (nausea, vomiting), increasing the body's immune forces (vitamins C, E, P, B), etc.

Treatment of stage 4 stomach cancer

Treatment of stage 4 stomach cancer is mainly symptomatic and aimed at improving the patient's quality of life by limiting the spread of the tumor, reducing its growth rate, maintaining the functioning of all organs and preventing complications. The following treatment methods are used at stage 4 stomach cancer:

• palliative surgery,
• radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy,
• hormonal therapy,
• immunotherapy.

These methods of therapy can be used either independently or in combination.

Treatment of stomach cancer after surgery

Treatment of stomach cancer after surgery is very important and consists of the following:

• After surgery, the first two to three days after the resection and four to six days after the gastrectomy, food and water intake by mouth are excluded. The required volume of fluid and the amount of nutrients are compensated by intravenous administration - nutrient solutions with insulin, vitamins and protein-based drugs are administered. The daily amount of fluid administered, necessary for the body, is calculated based on blood counts and the general well-being of the patient and averages two liters.
• Oxygen therapy (oxygen is administered if necessary) and breathing exercises are performed.
• In the postoperative period, antibacterial drugs are prescribed - cephalosporins (cefepime, cefotaxime), carbapenems (meropenem), polymyxins, amoxiclav, ampiox, etc.
• Painkillers – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (dicloberl, ketanov), if necessary – narcotic analgesics.
• With the doctor's permission, the patient is allowed to eat liquid food first, after which the diet is gradually expanded and the consumption of pureed soup, liquid porridge, sour cream, kefir is allowed, and on the seventh to tenth day the transition to table No. 1 - gastric - is made.
• After such an operation, vitamin B12 is prescribed.

If necessary, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy are prescribed after the operation. Physical activity, physiotherapy, solarium and trips to the beach are prohibited in the postoperative period. Full recovery after stomach surgery occurs within six months. Patients must be under constant supervision of a doctor after the operation.

Cost of stomach cancer treatment

The cost of stomach cancer treatment is quite high and depends on the clinic where the therapy will be performed, the stage of cancer and the treatment methods. In Ukraine, the average cost of stomach cancer treatment is:

• radiation therapy – from 16,000 to 110,700 hryvnia (from 20 to 35 days),
• combination therapy (surgical treatment + radiation therapy) – from 64,000 to 120,000 hryvnia (from 10 to 20 days),
• laparoscopic surgery for stomach cancer - from 30,000 hryvnia,
• stay in a surgical hospital - on average 3,000 hryvnia per day,
• stay in the intensive care unit - about 4,500 hryvnia per day,
• consultation with leading oncologists – from 1,500 to 2,500 hryvnia.

The cost of treating stomach cancer abroad is significantly higher.