Final Stages of GIST Cancer

Final Stages of GIST Cancer

Final stages of gist cancer - The gastrointestinal tract (GI) is part of the digestive system of the body. It helps digest food and ingest nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water) of food so that they can be used by the body. The GI tract consists of the following organs: stomach, small intestine and large intestine (large intestine).

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) may be malignant (cancer) or benign (non-carcinogenic). They are more common in the stomach and small intestine, but can be found anywhere inside or near the digestive tract. Some scientists believe that GIST begins in cells called Cajal interstitial cells (ICC) on the walls of the GI tract.

Can genetic factors increase the risk of having a gastrointestinal stromal tumor? Everything that increases the risk of disease is called a risk factor. Having risk factors does not mean that you will have cancer; Not having risk factors doesn't mean you won't have cancer. Talk to your doctor if you feel you're at risk.

Genes in cells carry hereditary information received from someone's parents. The risk of GIST is increased in people who inherited a mutation (change) in a specific gene. In rare cases, GIST can be found in several members of the same family. See Symptoms Of Bowel Cancer in A Woman.

GIST may be part of a genetic syndrome, but this is rare. A genetic syndrome is a number of symptoms or conditions that occur together and are usually caused by abnormal genes. The following genetic syndromes were associated with GIST: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and Carney triad.

What are the signs of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor, including blood in the stool or vomiting? These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by GIST or other conditions. Check with your doctor if you have one of the following:

Blood (bright red or too dark) in feces or vomiting. Stomach pain, which can be severe. Feeling very tired. Difficulty or pain when swallowing. Feel full after just eating some food.

Sometimes GIST is smaller than the eraser on the pencil. Tumors can be found during procedures performed for other reasons, such as x-rays or surgery. Some of these small tumors do not grow and cause signs or symptoms or spread to the stomach or other parts of the body. Doctors do not agree whether these small tumors should be removed or whether they should be monitored to see if they start to grow.

What specific factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options? The prognosis (possible recovery) and treatment options depend on the following: How fast do cancer cells grow and divide, Tumor size, Where the tumor is in the body, Can the tumor be completely removed by surgery? And if the tumor spreads to other parts of the body.

Final Stages of GIST Cancer

The process used to determine whether cancer has spread in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) or other parts of the body is called staging. The information collected in the staging process determines the stage of the disease.

Can GIST cancer spread from where it starts to other parts of the body? When cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells separate from where they started (primary tumors) and travel through the lymphatic system or blood.
  • Lymphatic system. Cancer enters the lymphatic system, crosses lymphatic vessels and forms tumors (metastatic tumors) in other parts of the body.
  • Blood. Cancer enters the blood, travels through blood vessels and forms tumors (metastatic tumors) in other parts of the body.
  • Metastatic tumors are the same type of tumor as the primary tumor. For example, if a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) spreads to the liver, tumor cells in the liver are actually GIST cells. The disease is Metastasis of GIST, not liver cancer.

Doctors have a difficult task to tell patients that nothing else can be done by them. They don't want to have the last hope a patient has, and many patients will do "anything to live just one more day". Many patients do not give up and give up hospital treatment because they are "afraid of being left alone", which means they will lose their priority status with their doctors and caregivers.

Doctors talk to their patients from the start about their disease management plan, discussing all their options, including the decision to allow hospital care to take control. A patient can think more clearly about his choices in the early stages of the disease process than when he understands every extra day of life. Patients need to be aware that they should not feel "abandoned"" when starting a hospital and that the hospital can offer comfort and support to them and their families at the end of their lives. Studies have shown that aggressive therapy in the later stages of the disease "only accelerates the process" of death. While without treatment, a patient can feel comfortable and have a larger amount and quality of time to spend with family and friends. However

Once again, doctors find it difficult to tell patients "enough", for fear of stealing the patient's expectations. The article goes even further, saying that doctors can even look at their own livelihoods, where the cost of care is what keeps them in business. People certainly hope that's not the case, and I, as a cancer patient, don't believe that. From personal experience, I consider doctors in this field of medicine very compassionate and always take care of my interests.

Should treatment stop even when the patient wishes to continue? Patient autonomy should be respected by the doctor and maintained in all circumstances. In the end, patients are always in the driver's seat when it comes to disease management.