What are the survival rates in type 4 stomach cancer patient?
Patient: My Sister was just diagnoised with type 4 stomach cancer.It has spread through all her organs..She had very few symptoms.She went in when they discovered a tumor the size of a lemon and were going to remove her stomach and spleen and when they opened her up there were not expecting what they found..They had done a pet scan and it did not show all of this cancer,They have suggested chemo after they do radiation but i want to know with it being so far advanced how long even with chemo will she have..Our family is in total shock..She is 67 but looks like she is in her late fifties..Please can you help me with some answers..Sincerly..Marylynn Doctor: Hi. Its very sad to hear about your sister's health. Stomach cancer is notorious for producing sub centimeter peritoneal metastasis (peritoneum is the inner lining of abdomen and the coverings of stomach and intestines). Sensitivity of PET scan is low for detecting sub centimeter metastasis and so a diagnostic laproscopy (putting a camera into the abdominal cavity) to rule out peritoneal deposits before radical surgery is recommended.Stage 4 stomach cancer has poor prognosis with a 5 year survival rate of less than 5% and a median survival of 9 to 12 months.Palliative chemotherapy after radiation therapy will continue till disease progression or till the time patient can tolerate chemotherapy.I hope your questions have been answered. Thankyou for choosing Healthcare Magic.