Side effects of preoperative radiotherapy for gastric cancer

Preoperative radiotherapy for gastric cancer can produce many side effects, which are related to the stage of the disease, the size of the irradiation range, the depth of the dose curve, individual differences, and the means of radiotherapy. The main manifestations are digestive system symptoms and other physical symptoms.

Digestive system reactions: About half of the patients will experience digestive system reactions as a side effect of preoperative radiotherapy for gastric cancer. The most common side effects are loss of appetite, abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc. Most of them occur 1 to 5 hours after radiation.

Bleeding: It is mostly caused by cancer invading blood vessels, which causes blood vessels to rupture and bleed after radiotherapy. Massive bleeding can easily lead to hemorrhagic shock. Once discovered, blood volume should be replenished quickly and emergency surgery should be performed.

Abdominal pain: Acute and severe abdominal pain after radiotherapy, followed by signs of peritonitis, may be caused by cancer perforation, which is mostly due to the cancer penetrating the entire layer of the gastric wall, the necrosis of the cancer cannot be repaired after radiotherapy, or the cancer inflammation and edema after radiotherapy, coupled with improper eating.

Systemic: Systemic reactions are also common as side effects of preoperative radiotherapy for gastric cancer, such as bone marrow suppression, bleeding, decreased white blood cells and platelets, and fatigue. Once discovered, radiotherapy should be discontinued and bone marrow stimulating factor therapy should be performed, such as intramuscular injection of Shengleon, Huierxue, and Shenglion, which have a faster effect and can be supplemented with immunotherapy.

Special note: Using Chinese medicine in conjunction with chemotherapy can effectively eliminate these toxic and side effects, and can also increase the radiosensitivity of cancer cells, helping radiation to completely kill cancer cells.

The damage caused by radiotherapy to surrounding organs often does not appear until more than a month after radiotherapy, so close follow-up should be conducted to observe its side effects.