People suffering from disappointing oncological pathologies are forced to face serious problems. The fact is that most often such conditions are detected only during surgical intervention. Even despite the fact that today there are a huge number of modern methods for diagnosing cancer, its timely detection does not always occur.
In such situations, specialists have a dilemma, which is that it is far from always possible to completely remove the neoplasm. There are circumstances when it is impossible to immediately perform an operation on the underlying disease. In this case, there is a palliative operation. This is a surgical procedure that aims to alleviate the condition of the patient. In this case, there is a greater chance of extending the patient's life. However, it is worth considering in more detail the features of this procedure.
General information
Palliative surgery is an intervention in which the goal is not to completely remove the tumor. This means that this surgical procedure is not radical. In this case, histological studies are necessarily carried out.
If we talk about domestic oncology, then it has such a thing as a symptomatic operation. In this case, we are talking about the fact that the surgeon will intervene in the human organs, but the primary tumors will not be affected.
If we talk about Western doctors, then such procedures are not allocated in a separate group. In this case, palliative surgery is one of the standard procedures that are offered to patients suffering from cancer.
If you talk about the situations in which this procedure is required, then most often they resort to it when a person has a tumor that is sensitive to radiation therapy and the use of chemical components. In this case, palliative surgery is the only option to help a person. Most of the tumor or metastasis is removed. After this, a period of conservative treatment begins, which includes radiation or chemotherapy.
Today, palliative medicine is considered very effective. Most often, such treatment options are performed in the treatment of malignant tumors. However, they may be required in a number of other situations. For example, palliative surgeries for congenital heart diseases and other dangerous pathologies have become common today, in which it is difficult to use radical methods of treatment without harming the person. In some cases, such measures can even save the life of the patient.
Advantages and disadvantages
If we talk about the benefits of palliative medicine, then in this case it is worth noting that injuries will be significantly less than with standard surgical intervention. However, you need to understand that this technique does not have strong effectiveness. Indeed, to help a person cope with pathology in this way is possible only if the procedure is carried out at the primary stage of tumor development. If the size of the neoplasm is already too large, then the complete removal of such a tumor leads to serious consequences.
However, when it comes to the early stage, it is still recommended that a radical surgical intervention be performed. This means that the formation must be completely removed. This is because when a small tumor formation is removed, a person is least likely to suffer from serious consequences. However, in this case, it is possible to almost completely eliminate the likelihood that the tumor will grow further or degenerate into malignant tumors.
In addition, it must be understood that when performing palliative operations in oncology (as a conservative treatment), the overall health of patients is still deteriorating. If we talk about such surgery, then, as a rule, such treatment is used in order to alleviate the condition of children with cancer. This is because babies are much more difficult to endure radical surgery. In addition, it must be borne in mind that a very young organism is not yet fully formed, and it is not known how it will respond to the complete removal of the tumor formation.
However, even if the doctor concludes that it is much more advisable to perform a palliative surgery, there is no guarantee that such a procedure can really alleviate the patient's condition. There is a chance to relieve unpleasant symptoms. However, the disease will remain in the human body.
For example, if palliative surgery is performed for gastric cancer, there is a risk that the tumor particles have already spread to other systems, and metastases began to appear in different parts of the body. In such situations, the complete removal of the stomach and caudal portions, pancreas and other organs (or parts thereof) is most often performed. At the same time, the “easy” procedure can turn out to be absolutely inactive.
Features of palliative surgery
As mentioned earlier, such a surgical intervention is not able to save a person from problems entirely. Such a procedure is performed only if it is necessary to eliminate unpleasant or in some situations fatal symptoms. For example, sometimes tumor formations begin to put pressure on nearby organs. This greatly harms the human body, affects all aspects of his life. In this case, a decision is made to get rid of part of the tumor, due to which the pressure is significantly reduced.
As a rule, after performing palliative surgery for stomach cancer and other types of tumors, patients are prescribed special drugs that help stop the growth of formations, as well as prevent the spread of metastases.
It is also worth noting that such procedures help a person to get more chances for a successful recovery. It must be borne in mind that this procedure helps to get rid of pain by eliminating the source. Therefore, after it is held, a person begins to feel normal. This greatly improves the clinical picture. Such procedures help to get more precious time to continue further treatment.
One of the main goals of palliative surgery is to anesthetize the affected area in the last stages of cancer. If we talk about contraindications to these procedures, then most patients do not have them. Therefore, such surgical intervention, unlike other methods, is considered the most rational in some situations.
In addition, these manipulations are applicable not only to cancer. There are other diseases that lead to severe pain. If these pathologies cannot be cured or eliminated with the help of “aggressive” measures, then in this case the only solution is a similar procedure.
In addition, during the operation, the surgeon gets the opportunity to see the affected area as close as possible and adjust the treatment regimen. Thanks to this, the success in the recovery and recovery of a person increases.
Palliative surgery. Indications
This method of non-radical type is most often used if the tumor is very sensitive. Also, this procedure cannot be dispensed with if the neoplasm does not respond to medications and responds poorly to treatment. In addition, the procedure is performed with huge neoplasms. As a rule, they begin to put pressure on the surrounding organs, and the sick person does not have time to wait for the effective effect of chemotherapy.
In this case, the patient immediately removes part of the tumor, after which further struggle is carried out with the help of medications. Thanks to this, the treatment period is significantly reduced. People begin to feel faster faster. An important fact is that rehabilitation after palliative surgery takes much less time.
Also, the appearance of malignant tumors should be added to the indications. They are far from always removed by radical means. However, you need to understand that there is no chance of a full recovery after this procedure. Nevertheless, it all depends on the specific situation, the neglect of oncology and the characteristics of the human body.
Undoubtedly, non-radical treatment of such a plan helps to mitigate injuries and is perfectly combined with treatment with chemicals. As a rule, these procedures are indicated for those with a fatal diagnosis.
Emergency cases
The point is that doctors need to quickly respond to a sharp deterioration in the patient's condition. Otherwise, death begins to threaten a person. In such situations, tracheostomy, gastrostomy and others are most often performed. This is the most common type of palliative intervention.
Tracheostomy
The procedure consists in the removal of a tumor covering the larynx. Unless urgent surgery is performed or help is late for adequate reasons, it will be too difficult for the patient to breathe. At some point, oxygen starvation of the brain will occur, due to which the patient may die.
Gastrostomy
In this case, the operation is necessary so that a person can eat normally. This is due to the fact that with pathology the internal organs of the patient are greatly weakened and depleted. Because of this, he can not eat on his own.
Gastroenteroanastomosis
Also in emergency situations, an operation of this type is performed. This procedure is carried out if the patient has stenosis of the output section of the stomach. Most often, this diagnosis is made with an ulcer.
In addition, in rare situations, a sick patient may need to create an unnatural anus. Very often, with the development of intestinal tumors, obstruction begins. Because of this, the patient begins to have severe constipation, which extremely negatively affects his condition, exacerbating an already difficult ailment. To facilitate the pathology, doctors, by and large, make a new anus by cutting the rectum.
Routine intervention
In this case, the operation is planned in advance. Part of the tumor is removed, and in the future the patient proceeds to drug treatment. In this case, a similar procedure is also performed in several situations. For example, if the tumor is very large. In such a situation, the neoplasm can be malignant or benign. This does not affect the decision about the operation, as the doctor first of all pays attention to the size of the tumor. If it strongly presses on other organs, in particular, on the heart or pulmonary system, then it is worthwhile to remove this unpleasant pressure as soon as possible.
Thanks to the palliative surgery technique, a person feels better faster and practically does not complain of cancer symptoms. At the same time, he can lead a normal lifestyle, work and relax. In addition, a similar operation is performed if the pathology develops too rapidly. If, according to the analysis, the doctor sees that the growth rate of oncology begins to increase too quickly, then this surgical intervention allows you to somewhat slow down this process. Extra time is needed for the specialist to review the treatment regimen and develop new recommendations for the patient.
If a person has metastases, then this is considered one of the worst complications. In this case, we are talking about the fact that the cancer has intensified again. In such situations, a non-radical operation is best.
It is worth noting that palliative surgery is a procedure that helps a person to get to their feet faster without experiencing excessive injuries. After the procedure, almost all the organs of the patient begin to function normally. He breathes independently, takes food, he has normal blood circulation and so on.
It is worth noting that this type of surgery has saved many lives. With a fatal diagnosis, many of them extended their lives for many years. In addition, during this procedure, doctors get a little more time to clarify the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
Today, palliative surgery is the most effective and modern way to diagnose malignant tumors and solve problems with severe symptoms. Also, this procedure is very effective when it comes to childhood oncological diseases. Therefore, these operations today are very much in demand.
However, despite the huge number of positive reviews about this procedure, it can be allowed only in special circumstances. The patient must consult with an oncologist, who will determine the tests and decide which treatment is better at this stage of the development of pathology. If there is a serious threat to the patient’s health, then it is sometimes much better to undergo a radical operation. But directly in the process of surgery, when the doctor clearly sees all the internal organs of a person, he can change his mind and move on to an easier procedure. Only if he sees that this will help improve the patient's condition without impairing his health.
Is such a procedure necessary if it does not help to completely recover from an illness
This is a completely logical question, since by definition palliative surgery is not able to rid a tumor. However, it is worth considering that this procedure really helps to significantly improve the patient's quality of life. What is important, according to statistics, most of the patients who underwent this surgery could survive much longer. Due to the partial removal of the pathology, the treatment prescribed by him began to act faster.
In addition, the conservative type of treatment after the procedure is more effective. There is less harm to the internal organs of a person. Due to the fact that the patient receives more time, he has a chance to consider other types of treatment or wait for new developments in medicine.
If the doctor made a mistake in the diagnosis, then after such an operation the patient will be able to recover quite quickly. According to experts and their rich experience, in medical practice there is a huge amount of evidence that after such operations, patients lived happily for many more years.