The spleen may be removed in some cases. The esophagus and small intestine are then connected to one another to allow eating and swallowing to continue. The drugs are typically given in cycles of a few days of treatment and then 3-4 weeks to rest, for a period of weeks or months determined by the oncologist. Drugs are administered by mouth or injection to destroy the cancer cells. The drugs enter the blood stream and can, therefore, reach areas of the body where the cancer may have spread.
Radiation therapy is local, affecting only the area exposed to the rays.
It is typically given five days per week for a period of five or six weeks. In cases of Stomach Cancer, radiation is used more often to relieve some of the symptoms of Stomach Cancer such as pain, bleeding, or obstructions by shrinking the tumor. This is called palliative radiation. Clinical Trials - There are always new experimental treatments being tested that often have promising results. The effectiveness and side effects of clinical trials are not always known, but they can sometimes offer hope of survival especially for end-stage cancer patients.