Advanced stomach cancer treatment in India | Stomach cancer treatment cost in India
Stomach cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men, and it is the seventh most common cancer in women. In 2020, stomach cancer causes 769000 deaths worldwide according to WHO. In terms of new cases in 2020 of stomach cancer is 1.09 million.
However, with the advanced stomach cancer treatment in India, the survival rates of stomach cancer patients are also increasing. Though the detection of stomach cancer itself is a matter of concern, with the right treatment and the right doctor at the right time, you can beat stomach cancer.
Let’s understand from the experience of Mr. Amir Hussien, from Tallinn, Estonia.
Mr. Amir is a 43-year-old gentleman who leads the sales team in a reputed company that sells technology solutions to businesses. Mr. Amir has two children and a wonderful wife. Despite a stressful job, he managed to take time to spend with his family.
Three years back, Mr. Amir was starting to have some nausea and he wasn’t eating that well. Amir also lost 12 KG of weight in a short period of time. Amir decided to visit the doctor for a check-up. The doctor physically examined Amir and suggested a blood test and ultrasound and Amir did the test and went back home to wait for the results.
The doctor called him the next day and informed him that he was anemic and an ulcer was suspected. The doctor suggested to Amir to visit a gastroenterologist for a gastric endoscopy. Mr. Amir followed the suggestion and booked an appointment with a gastroenterologist for the endoscopy in the coming week. The doctor did the endoscopy and found an abnormal mass.
Mr. Amir was anticipating an ulcer but it turned out to be stomach cancer. Amir was in shock as the doctor suggested he do a CT scan to check the spread of the cancer. Amir did the CT scan and the results came. Amir had a lesion on his liver and stage IV stomach cancer that day his whole life changed.
Amir and his wife were in shock and had a feeling of their whole life-shattering in their eyes. Amir’s Elder son Hussien supported them and started searching for the best stomach cancer treatment for his father. While searching he came to know about MedicoExperts and Tumor board approach for cancer treatment.
Hussien contacted MedicoExperts and forwarded all the reports, the MedicoExperts team explained to Hussein about the Tumor Board approach and also arranged the online video consultation so that all the doubts regarding the treatment were cleared. Amir, after understanding all the details, decided to come to India for the treatment.
After 15 Days, Amir along with his son Hussien came to India. Amir was admitted to the hospital on the same day. A pre-evaluation test was performed to check the current spread of cancer.
The doctor started the treatment with three rounds of chemotherapy. After that, the surgical oncologist did the full gastrectomy, which was the removal of the whole stomach. Amir also had a distal pancreatectomy, where part of Amir’s pancreas was removed. After the surgery, a few rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy were given.
After the treatment, a CT scan was performed again to check the outcome of the treatment and Amir was cancer-free.
Amir and his family were very happy with the results and thanked the doctor and MedicoExperts.
This can be your story as well to win the battle against stomach cancer even if you have complex cancer. What you need is the right guidance and the right treatment at the right time from the right experts.
Before we move ahead with stomach cancer symptoms, stages of stomach cancer, stomach cancer treatment, and survival rates, let’s understand what stomach cancer is.
The stomach is an important part of the digestive system. When we eat food, first it is chewed in the oral cavity and then food enters the esophagus tube. The esophagus tube then takes food to the stomach. The stomach secretes gastric juices on the food. Food and gastric juices mix up and move further in the small intestine.
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells. So, in stomach cancer (gastric cancer), uncontrolled growth of cells takes place in the stomach and other body parts around. But, it is not an overnight thing. It takes years to develop. Before cancer cells develop, some pre-cancerous changes take place.
These changes do not cause any symptoms and often go unnoticed.
Symptoms occur after more development of cancerous cells and different parts of the stomach may show different types of symptoms.
Let’s now understand the different stages of stomach cancer.
What are different types of stomach cancer?
There are different forms of stomach cancer. Here are the different types and their details in the upcoming list.
It is the most common type of stomach cancer. It is found in 90 to 95% of the cases of stomach cancer. Adenocarcinoma is further divided into 2 types.
The first one is Intestinal carcinoma which is slow to grow and can be cured. It is found in elderly people.
The second one is Diffuse adenocarcinoma, which is rare and aggressive. So, it spreads fast in the body. It is found in younger people.
Lymphoma is a rare type of stomach cancer. The occurrence of lymphoma in the stomach is 4% of total stomach cancer. Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system present in the stomach.
Carcinoid tumors form in hormone-producing cells in the stomach. They generally do not spread to other organs and are rare in nature, 3% of total stomach cancers are carcinoid tumors. So, that was all about types of stomach cancer.
Now we will see what causes stomach cancer.
The stage of your stomach cancer tells you, The location, size, and spread of a tumor or cancer cells in your stomach. Stomach cancer is classified according to the following five stages, depending on the time of discovery:
In this stage abnormal cells are found in the mucosa layer of the stomach. The mucosa is the innermost layer of the stomach and It lines the lumen of the digestive tract.
In the stage 1 cancer cells would be formed in the mucosa layer and may be formed in the submucosa layer. The submucosa layer is the layer next to the mucosa layer.
In stage 2 cancer cells spread to the submucosa layer and may spread upto muscular cells and nearby lymph nodes.
In stage 3 cancer spreads to more lymph nodes and muscle layers. In stage 3 cancer also spreads to the nearby organs like the adrenal gland, abdomen wall, small intestine, pancreas, and spleen.
It is the most advanced stage of cancer. In this stage, cancer spreads to distant body parts like the lungs, liver, and distant lymph nodes.
The early stages of stomach cancer may not have any symptoms. Symptoms can be found in later stages. This is the reason most stomach cancers are not found until they have grown so large.
Still, these are some symptoms of stomach cancer.
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss without any reason
- Pain in abdomen
- Feeling tiredness
- Nausea
- Blood in stool or vomiting
- Chest burning
- Indigestion
As you can see, these symptoms are too common to predict stomach cancer. These symptoms can be because of other reasons as well like stomach ulcers. But, if symptoms remain for a longer period without getting cured then one should go through cancer screening to identify the exact reason.
Now, let’s move to the important part.
There are various risk factors associated with stomach cancer. If you are associated with any of these risk factors, you should control them, to prevent stomach cancer.
- Age: Stomach cancer is more common in elderly people above 65. So, it is advisable to go through regular screening. It can happen to young people as well but it is not so common.
- Gender: Stomach cancer is more common in males than females.
- Helicobacter pylori infection: The presence of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach causes stomach cancer. It is one of the major causes of stomach cancer.
- Obesity: Obesity or being overweight increases the risk of stomach cancer in the upper part.
- Diet: Eating processed, grilled, salted, and pickled vegetables increases the risk of stomach cancer. Eating no fruits and green vegetables increases the risk of stomach cancer. High alcohol consumption also increases the risk of stomach cancer.
As you already know about various risk factors, let’s see how you feel when you have stomach cancer.
Now, let’s go deep and understand the methods and procedures used for diagnosing stomach cancer in the following list.
A CT scan uses x-rays taken from various angles to create images of the inside of the body. These images are combined by a computer into a detailed, three-dimensional image that reveals any abnormalities or tumors. A CT scan can be used to determine the size of the tumor.
To look into your stomach, your doctor will insert a thin, flexible tube with a small camera down your throat.
A PET scan is a