How many live with stage 4 stomach cancer? We will examine in more detail in this matter. Any malignant tumor goes through four stages of its development. The last stage is characterized by a high intensity of general and specific symptoms of the disease. Quite often, before the fourth stage, the disease develops without any manifestations in the form of symptoms. This becomes the reason for the late diagnosis and detection of pathology, which greatly complicates the further treatment and surgical intervention.
Prediction difficulty
For grade 4 gastric cancer, or carcinoma, it is rather difficult to make a prognosis for the symptoms that appear. Statistics show that every twentieth patient in the fourth stage of cancer lives more than five years after surgery.
The development of a tumor in the fourth stage is characterized by a high risk of metastasized cells entering other organs and systems, often distant from the localization of the cancer itself. Thus, an uncontrolled growth of a malignant neoplasm occurs. In rare cases, a complete recovery after the operation is recorded. Most patients do not benefit even from radical methods of treatment with radiation and chemotherapy.
Disease Description
Grade 4 cancer of the stomach is characterized by the appearance of characteristic symptoms and signs of the disease that were not previously detected, or arose at this stage. Symptoms are high in intensity.
Gastric carcinoma is accompanied by rapid satiety from food, even with a minimal amount of food eaten. Lymph nodes sharply increase in size, and soreness appears upon palpation. Digestive system disorders, heartburn, vomiting, defecation disorders, bowel obstruction, etc. Metastases at this stage can be detected not only in nearby organs such as the intestines, liver, lungs, but also in distant systems, for example, brain or bone structures.
Symptoms
Symptoms of gastric cancer of the 4th degree with metastases look different and depend on the type of neoplasm and the degree of damage to the body. Infiltrative-ulcerative form of cancer has the most unfavorable prognosis. With this form, the disease develops rapidly and causes severe pain to the patient. Fatal outcome occurs after 2-3 months. Obstruction occurs in the stomach, which causes vomiting when trying to eat. A sharp loss of body weight occurs, up to dystrophy. Anemia occurs, manifested by pallor of the skin and lethargy.
Unfortunately, many are now diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer. How many live, find out below.
One of the specific signs of the last stage of the tumor is the discoloration of vomit and stool. The presence of black impurities in the stool and vomiting of the patient indicates the presence of cancer. This is due to blood clots that enter the bowel movement. It is rather difficult to make a prognosis for such patients. It depends on the timeliness of treatment measures. The sooner treatment is started, the greater the prognosis of the patient’s life.
Intestinal obstruction may indicate such a dangerous phenomenon as the localization of tumors in the pyloric region of the stomach, in the pylorus.
As mentioned above, metastases of gastric cancer of the 4th degree can enter various systems and organs. With metastasis of the digestive glands of the pancreas and liver, the patient’s abdominal volume increases significantly. Another sign of the presence of metastasized cells in the liver is icteric syndrome. These symptoms indicate a fusion of the neoplasm with the anterior abdominal cavity.
Cancer cells have a special metabolism and secrete waste products. This leads to intoxication of the body, since it perceives these cells as foreign.
Treatment
Most often, patients go to the doctor already in the late stages of cancer, when palliative methods become necessary, that is, aimed at alleviating the symptoms, but not a complete cure. Gastric localization gives more chances for the complete elimination of the tumor, in contrast to the lungs, pancreas and liver. A big problem is metastases, which are almost impossible to get rid of by modern methods.
Surgery for gastric cancer is far from always performed. For the most part, such surgical procedures are performed to improve the quality of life of patients. Specialists restore the digestive tract, creating anastomoses between the intestines and stomach. This improves food flow when it comes to pyloric or pyloric cancer. Anastomoses are metal tubes that pass through the gastric pylorus. The tumor is thus not eliminated, and the prognosis of the patient's life may be disappointing. However, such measures allow the patient to live and eat fully.
Laser ablation
In addition to anastomoses, laser ablation is also used in oncological surgery. The essence of the method consists in burning a tumor with a laser. If metastasized cells greatly weakened the body’s immune system, gastric resection is contraindicated. However, even if it is carried out, this is only a measure to extend the patient's life and improve its quality.
If the patient cannot eat on his own due to the development of bowel obstruction, he is fed artificially. To do this, a hole is made in the abdominal wall and a probe is inserted for the artificial introduction of nutrient mixtures.
Patients in the last stage of carcinoma are greatly weakened, therefore, intravenous analgesia is not performed. Local anesthesia is used.
Chemotherapy and palliative technique
With gastric cancer of the 4th degree, chemotherapeutic methods can stop the development of malignant neoplasms. 5-fluorouracil is most commonly used. This substance allows you to stop the growth of a cancerous tumor in every second case. The disadvantage of this method is the large number of side effects and complications. The use of this technique can significantly worsen the general condition of the patient. Foreign drugs currently have the same spectrum of action, but they have a lesser effect on healthy patient cells.
Most often, chemotherapy is used with the local method of spreading carcinoma. If there are no signs of exhaustion among the symptoms of gastric cancer 4 degrees, chemotherapy is used in combination with radiological radiation, which can significantly reduce the protective functions of the body.
The use of analgesics
One of the main methods of palliative treatment is the use of analgesics. Drugs are used according to the level of exposure. If it is necessary to remove the existing inflammatory process, therapy with drugs from a number of antibiotics is prescribed. For the elimination of purulent processes in cancer formation, a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid with potassium permanganate is responsible.
Hormonal drugs and immunomodulators
Also, hormonal drugs and immunomodulators are used in therapy, which allows to extend the life of a patient with grade 4 stomach cancer. Strengthening immunity for cancer treatment is an innovative technique, but it is not used in all clinics. Most often, such practices can be found in clinics in Israel and Germany. If there is a genetic predisposition to cancer, annual screening is required for early diagnosis. You can check the possible predisposition by donating blood to special tumor markers that show the likely possibility of getting cancer.
So how much live with stage 4 stomach cancer?
Forecast
It seems rather difficult to take into account all factors and aggravating the patient’s condition in order to make at least an approximate prognosis of the life of a patient with stage 4 gastric cancer. In older people, life expectancy will be lower than in young people. This is due to better health and a large reserve of the young body. In addition, the young body resists cancer cells better. If other chronic diseases are present in the patient’s history, this also shortens the life span.
Also, the form of the disease plays the last role in the life expectancy of a patient with gastric cancer in the fourth stage, the most dangerous of which is considered infiltrative.
Another factor in life expectancy in cancer is the spread of metastasized cells to distant organs and systems. The correct interpretation of the test results and the correct treatment regimen are very important.
If all factors are favorable, including taking into account the mental, emotional and social condition of the patient, his life expectancy will be more than 5 years in every fifth case. With treatment abroad, it is possible to extend the patient's life by another 15 percent.
The life expectancy of a patient with fourth-degree gastric cancer largely depends on the psychoemotional attitude. And although it is almost impossible to completely cure this disease, it is possible to create favorable conditions for the longest life. Cancer is a serious disease that threatens a person’s life, so you should pay due attention to your health and undergo routine examinations.
We examined how much they live with grade 4 stomach cancer.