Stomach Cancer Radiation Therapy

For people with stomach cancer, radiation therapy may be used to kill the cancer cells. Radiation therapy can be administered using a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or using needles, seeds, wires, or catheters placed in the body in or near the cancer (internal radiation therapy). When used to treat stomach cancer, radiation therapy may result in side effects such as stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue.

 

Stomach Cancer Radiation Therapy: An Overview

Stomach cancer radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells.
 
For purposes of this article, the term "stomach cancer" is used to refer to gastric adenocarcinoma (cancer of the glandular tissue in the stomach), which is the most common type of stomach cancer. Other types of stomach cancer include lymphomas (cancers involving the lymphatic system) and sarcomas (cancers of the connective tissue, such as muscle, fat, or blood vessels).
 
(See the eMedTV article Lymphoma for information about a less common type of cancer that may develop in the stomach.)
 
Stomach cancer radiation therapy is given as external or internal radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside of the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. Most people go to a hospital or clinic for treatment, and treatments usually last five days a week for several weeks.
 

Side Effects of Stomach Cancer Radiation Therapy

Side effects of radiation therapy will depend on the dose of radiation and the part of your body that is being treated. Radiation therapy to the abdomen may cause:
 
  • Pain in the stomach or the intestine
  • Nausea and diarrhea
  • Skin to become red, dry, and tender.
 
Side effects from stomach cancer radiation therapy usually go away after treatment ends. Although receiving radiation therapy to treat stomach cancer may cause patients to become very tired, doctors usually advise patients to stay as active as they can.
 
(Stomach Cancer Radiation Therapy Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD