Shahrin Ahmed: The use of heated drug baths can offer hope to patients with stomach cancer

Shahrin Ahmed, a Medical Specialist at the Canadian Cancer Society, made the following post on X:

“The use of heated drug baths can offer hope to patients with stomach cancer – The survival rate for patients with stomach cancer and peritoneal metastasis can be significantly increased by a new chemotherapy approach.

A study in the Annals of Surgical Oncology has found that the cancer has spread to the lining of the abdominal cavity. Stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, is caused by the rapid growth of cells in the stomach.

The majority of stomach cancers are discovered when the disease has spread beyond the stomach, which decreases the chances of a successful cure. Patients were given cytoreductive surgery to remove all visible cancer tumors in the stomach and abdominal cavity, then hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) was performed.

Clinical monitoring was conducted by researchers using imaging and tumor markers every three to four months for the first two years, and then every six months thereafter. The survival rate for each period of one, two, and three years was 96%, 78%, and 55%, respectively.

The average survival time for stage 4 gastric cancer patients is approximately 13 months. Over 55% of patients are still alive three years after surgery due to the use of this new combination of chemotherapy drugs during hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Symptoms of stomach cancer are typically caused by adenocarcinoma, which is the most common type. Stomach tumors that are rare also exist. To kill any remaining microscopic cancer cells, the abdominal cavity is immersed in a hot chemotherapy drug, specifically cisplatin and paclitaxel, for 90 minutes.

Both a higher dosage and greater penetration of the chemotherapy can be achieved by heating the chemotherapy drugs and administering them directly into the abdominal cavity. The researchers claim that this method destroys more cancer cells than conventional treatment.

While there is still a lot of work to be done, we must make significant progress and keep progressing to offer hope and healing to the patients.”

Source: Shahrin Ahmed/X