Coping With Chemo Side Effects from Stomach Cancer Treatment
- “90 Day Fiancé” star Liz Woods, 33, is still recovering from chemotherapy treatments following a stomach cancer diagnosis last year.
- Gastric cancer, also called stomach cancer, originates in the stomach. The most common type of stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma, which begins in the stomach’s inner lining.
- For patients whose cancer is found at an earlier stage, surgery can often be curative. Surgery may still be an option even for patients with more advanced cancer. Some patients undergo chemotherapy before surgery.
- Systemic therapies, like chemo, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy, may be part of the treatment plan. Eligibility for these treatment approaches will depend on several factors, such as the stage of the cancer, the patient’s general health, and the results of biomarker or genetic testing.
Though she remains hopeful for brighter days, the young mother admits that fatigue still lingers, a constant reminder of the fight she’s enduring.
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In December 2024, fans of 90 Day Fiancé took notice of Liz Woods’ significant weight loss, sparking concerns that she had become “too skinny.” Addressing the speculation, Woods revealed in an Instagram story that she had been undergoing chemotherapy for stomach cancer — the first time she publicly shared her diagnosis.
“My body has been through depression, which made me gain an uncontrollable amount of weight, treated me well during my own weight loss journey, and then endured 14 rounds of chemo,” Woods said.
Months later, Woods says she continues focusing on her health and being a mom to her young daughter.
Expert Resources on Stomach Cancer
- ‘A Marathon vs. A Sprint’ — How Treatment for Advanced Gastric Cancer Differs From Early-Stage Disease
- Advanced Gastric Cancer: The Importance of a Diagnostic Laparoscopy
- Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer: Everything You Need To Know
- Current Progress on Early Detection of Gastric Cancer
- Endoscopic Resection for Gastric Cancer: An Advanced Treatment Offering Hope
- New FDA Approval: Vyloy (Zolbetuximab) — A Promising Option for Advanced Gastric Cancer
What Is Stomach Cancer?
Gastric cancer, also called stomach cancer, originates in the stomach. The most common type of stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma, which begins in the stomach’s inner lining.
Doctors can use advanced endoscopic techniques — a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera — that is inserted into the body through the mouth and views the throat, esophagus, stomach, and more. If patients manage to catch stomach cancer early, treatment is much easier to endure.
WATCH: Understanding stomach cancer risk factors
Symptoms for stomach cancer vary depending on how advanced the cancer is. For early-stage stomach cancer, symptoms may include:
- Bloating after eating
- Indigestion and upset stomach
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
Symptoms for more advanced stomach cancer may include:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Stomach pain
- Bloody stool
- Vomiting
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
- Difficulty swallowing
While experiencing any of these symptoms does not always mean stomach cancer, if you find yourself dealing with these issues more frequently, contact your doctor for some follow-up tests.
WATCH: How is stomach cancer staged?
“If a physician is suspecting stomach cancer … one of the first simple tests to do is blood work,” Dr. Sofya Pintova, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Mount Sinai Cancer Center in New York City, tells SurvivorNet.
“In the blood work, we are looking for several specific things. We’re looking at the organ function, such as liver function and kidney function, but we’re also looking at the level of the red blood cells in the blood. So, if the level of red blood cells is low, that is called anemia. And when someone has a new anemia that cannot be explained for other reasons, obvious reasons like a recent bleeding from the nose for example or other type of bleeding, then that warrants an evaluation by a gastroenterologist,” she adds.
Patients may also present with signs or symptoms of distant metastatic (spread) disease. The most common sites of metastatic disease are the liver, the peritoneal surfaces, and the lymph nodes.
Besides blood exams to evaluate anemia, nutritional status, and overall biochemistry, the most important exam is the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
“If a cancer is found in the stomach, the next step for us as oncologists or surgeons would be staging. And what staging means is we ask ourselves: is the tumor, the cancer still confined only to the stomach or has it spread to other organs,” Dr. Pintova explains. “So, several tests that we usually do to identify that are what’s called radiology tests or imaging that could take the form of computerized tomography scans, PET scans, sometimes MRIs.”
Treating Stomach Cancer
Surgery is often the most critical part of the treatment process for gastric cancer, especially in cases where the disease is localized and has not spread extensively beyond the stomach.
The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer, along with part or all of the stomach, depending on how much the cancer has spread. Surgeons aim to ensure that no cancer cells are left behind, which gives patients the best chance at long-term survival.
RELATED: Surgery for Gastric Cancer: What You Need to Know
WATCH: When is chemo given before surgery?
For patients whose cancer is at an earlier stage, surgery can often be curative. Surgery may still be an option even for patients with more advanced cancer.
Systemic therapies, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy, may also be used. Eligibility for these treatment approaches will depend on several factors, such as the stage of the cancer, the patient’s general health, and the results of biomarker testing.
Stomach cancer patients who are eligible for chemotherapy may receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which means chemo before surgery. This approach aims to shrink the tumor and improve the chances that it can be completely removed during surgery. By targeting the cancer cells beforehand, the treatment may help make surgery more effective and reduce the risk of cancer returning.
RELATED: What are the Treatment Options for Advanced Gastric Cancer?
“We notice that it’s easier for patients to receive chemotherapy before surgery [rather than after]. So some cancer centers around the U.S. try to offer more chemotherapy before surgery,” Dr. Alan Lima Pereira, a medical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, tells SurvivorNet.
The neoadjuvant chemotherapy may involve getting chemo every other week four to six times before surgery, followed by additional chemotherapy after surgery.
As Woods has expressed, chemotherapy side effects can be harsh on the body.
RELATED: How to Deal With the Side Effects of Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy can cause side effects, including fatigue, nausea, and hair loss. However, these side effects can often be managed.
The side effects experienced from these two chemo approaches varied slightly:
- FLOT Regimen: Patients experienced higher rates of certain side effects like low white blood cell counts (which can increase infection risk), diarrhea, infections, and numbness or tingling in hands and feet.
- Standard Therapy (epirubicin, cisplatin, and fluorouracil – ECF): Patients had higher rates of nausea, vomiting, and blood clots.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
If you’ve been diagnosed with stomach cancer and are feeling confused about your diagnosis, consider asking your doctor the following questions.
- What stage is my gastric cancer?
- Should I receive chemotherapy before surgery? Why?
- What are the potential side effects of chemotherapy?
- How can I manage the side effects?
- What are the risks and benefits of combining chemotherapy with surgery vs. surgery alone?
- How long will my treatment last?
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