Digestive tract discomfort could be a warning sign of cancer? Doctors reveal shocking statistics: 10 people die from this disease every day
Digestive tract discomfort could be a warning sign of cancer? Medical data revealed: 10 people die from this disease every day
Although the symptoms of “digestive tract discomfort” are not uncommon, people often ignore the risk of “upper gastrointestinal cancer”. It is understood that about 10 people die from esophageal and gastric cancer every day in Taiwan, and the annual death toll is as high as 4,000. The early symptoms of upper gastrointestinal cancer are not obvious. Among them, more than 30% of patients with extremely dangerous gastric cancer and esophageal cancer are already in the advanced stage of the disease when diagnosed, and are often accompanied by cancer cell metastasis.
More data show that in the past, patients with advanced cancer survived for only about 7 months after treatment, which shows that the effectiveness of treatment for advanced gastric cancer and esophageal cancer still needs to be improved. The good news is that “immunotherapy” has joined the ranks of cancer treatments in recent years. Dr. Chen Minghuang, director of the Department of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said that immunotherapy has good results in the treatment of advanced esophageal cancer and advanced gastric cancer, helping to reduce the risk of cancer. More than 20% risk of death.
Dr. Yu Zhengzhan, director of the Department of Surgery and Chief of General Surgery at Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, also said that immunotherapy has continued to bring new breakthroughs in the field of late-stage cancer treatment in recent years. Upper gastrointestinal cancer is indeed a high-risk disease that Taiwanese people must prevent, and now health insurance The Department extends a helping hand so that patients with advanced gastric cancer and advanced esophageal cancer will have more diverse and accessible anti-cancer options in the future.
30% of patients are already in the fourth stage when discovered! Patients with upper gastrointestinal tract cancer are in trouble in treatment
According to the latest cancer reporting report in Taiwan, about 30% of gastric cancer patients are in the fourth stage when diagnosed, and 45% of esophageal cancer patients are in the fourth stage when diagnosed. Dr. Yu Zhengzhan explained that advanced gastric cancer and esophageal cancer are highly dangerous, and both have been among the top ten causes of cancer death in Taiwan for many years. Moreover, because the early symptoms are difficult to identify, many patients are difficult to undergo surgical resection when they are discovered, and only first-line treatments are available. Chemical drugs help patients live longer.
However, chemotherapy can only prolong the survival period of patients by nearly seven months, and has severe side effects. The quality of life of elderly cancer patients is greatly affected, and it is often difficult to continue treatment. In addition, although there are targeted therapy options for the first line of advanced gastric cancer, they are only 6- It is applicable to 8% of patients, and there are no targeted drugs available for patients with esophageal cancer. This shows that for patients with advanced upper gastrointestinal cancer, there is currently a lack of more diverse and effective clinical treatment options.
One-year survival rate increased from 30% to over 45%! The significance of immunotherapy for advanced upper gastrointestinal cancer
In recent years, immunotherapy has been widely used in cancer treatment. Whether it is immunotherapy alone or combined immunotherapy, it has been proven to bring new breakthroughs in the therapeutic effect of various cancer types. Immunotherapy has also made great progress in upper gastrointestinal cancer in recent years. Dr. Chen Minghuang said that the first-line combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer can reduce the risk of death by about 20% and increase the three-year objective response rate.
In addition, patients with advanced esophageal cancer can not only use immunotherapy as a first-line treatment, but also have immunotherapy as a second-line option for those who have relapsed after using traditional therapies in the past. In addition to increasing the one-year survival rate from 30% in the past to more than 45%, it can also Prolonging the survival period of patients and reducing the risk of death by more than 20% is a new treatment option that has the opportunity to reverse the disease status of patients with advanced gastric cancer and esophageal cancer.
Immunotherapy for advanced upper gastrointestinal cancer is covered! If you meet these two conditions, discuss the treatment course with your doctor as soon as possible
In the past, treatment options for advanced gastric cancer and esophageal cancer were limited and ineffective. Although immunotherapy has recently been added to improve the treatment, in fact, most cancer patients are still limited by financial burden during treatment, making it difficult to use more effective treatment options. In the past two years, No treatment drug for first-line esophageal cancer is covered by health insurance. Now, the National Health Insurance Administration is sympathetic to the plight of cancer patients, and in order to improve the accessibility of treatment, immunotherapy has been included in the health insurance coverage for first-line gastric cancer and second-line esophageal cancer, making it a target for advanced gastric cancer and esophageal cancer. New hope for patients fighting cancer.
Dr. Chen Minghuang said that in the past, many patients suffered from financial considerations and therefore used immunotherapy. Nowadays, health insurance includes first-line advanced gastric cancer and second-line advanced esophageal cancer into the scope of coverage. For patients with gastric cancer, if the PD-L1 comprehensive positive score (CPS score) is greater than 5, Or patients with esophageal cancer whose PD-L1 tumor ratio score (TC score) is greater than 1% can actively discuss with their doctors to apply for benefits and choose more effective treatments that are consistent with their quality of life.
Dr. Yu Zhengzhan also shared that in addition to the good news of health insurance benefits for upper gastrointestinal cancers, which will benefit more patients with advanced esophageal and gastric cancers, immunotherapy is now also starting from late-stage cancers and gradually advancing to early-stage cancers and even adjuvant treatment. In the future, he will have the opportunity to light up the life of cancer patients at all stages and become a major help in realizing a better future. He calls on cancer patients to face the disease bravely and actively fight against cancer.
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