Cancer of the stomach is also called gastric cancer or gastric carcinoma. It tends to strike people from age 50 to 59, as well as workers in certain industries such as coal mining. Rehabilitation from stomach cancer surgery is intended to keep people physically strong. This helps them tolerate cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, while also enabling them to enjoy and participate in everyday activities.
Stomach Cancer
More than 95 percent of stomach cancers are called adenocarcinomas, which refer to cancers arising in the glands of the innermost walls of the stomach. A much rarer form of cancer is scirrohous carcinoma, which invades the stomach wall and turns into rigid scar tissue. Medical advancements have greatly reduced the death rate from stomach cancer, which once was the leading cancer killer of American men in 1930.
Research
PubMed reports that a 2000 study in South Korea found that exercise had a significant benefit for stomach cancer patients by increasing the natural killer cell activity of those who were exercising. Two days after surgery for stomach cancer, a group of patients began using arm and bicycle ergometers to exercise twice per day and five times per week at a moderate pace. The exercise group significantly increased the effects of natural killer cell activity in the stomach over the non-exercising control group.
Intent
The purpose of rehabilitation programs for stomach cancer patients at facilities such as the Cancer Treatment Centers of America is twofold--to keep patients as strong as possible so they will better tolerate treatments such as chemotherapy, and to enable patients to participate and enjoy everyday activities.
Programs
Rehabilitation for post-surgical stomach cancer patients often includes physical and occupational therapy to create personalized exercise programs for each patient. The programs, which can include light-resistance and range-of-motion exercises, are designed to treat pain, fatigue, decreased mobility, breathing difficulties and the challenges of daily living. Therapists recommend breathing techniques and posture adjustments to help reduce pain and help patients cope with stress, anxiety and depression.
Considerations
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, or CTCA, offers specialized treatments for certain conditions such as edema, or swelling in the body, which in this case is caused by excessive fluid buildup in the abdominal area. Massage techniques and gentle stretching exercises may help reduce the swelling. The CTCA also uses acupuncture to ease the effects of chemotherapy and an electronic device to relieve neuropathic pain in the limbs, which can be a side effect of stomach and other cancers.
