British researchers have reported that stomach cancer patients, live longer if they get chemotherapy before and after surgery.
New York: A new study claims that patients with stomach cancer who receive chemotherapy before and after surgery have significantly higher survival rates.
The study that was published in Thursday‘s the 5th of July, New England Journal of Medicine has reported that chemotherapy could reduce the risk of death by at least a quarter, when compared to surgery alone. It was also stated that chemo helped in shrinking the tumors and thereby improved the survival without a return of cancer.It was explained that surgery is the accepted treatment for stomach cancer, and that all or a part of the stomach removed during the procedure. The probability of a complete cure is considered very high if the condition is diagnosed early, but unfortunately stomach cancer isn’t usually detected until it is more advanced. It was also found that chemotherapy after surgery to kill any lingering cancer cells hasn‘t so far proved to be very beneficial.
The study, led by Dr. David Cunningham of Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton and London, explained that it was conducted on 503 patients primarily in Britain, where in the doctors tried giving chemotherapy both before and after surgery to those with operable stomach cancer or cancer of the esophagus. It was explained that Britain’s Medical Research Council supported the study and the cost of one chemotherapy drug paid for by its manufacturer.
