Gastric & colorectal cancer
12 articles shown
Understanding a Loved One's Status During Chemotherapy — A Caregiver's Guide to Tests and Questions
A caregiver-focused guide explaining when imaging shows treatment response, what pre-cycle blood tests check, and which specific questions and records help you understand a loved one's status during chemotherapy.
Trouble Holding Stool After Stoma Reversal — Using Pelvic Floor Exercises, Devices, and Biofeedback Wisely
After rectal cancer surgery and stoma reversal, controlling stool can be hard during the LARS period. This guide covers the basics of pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises, how to use biofeedback and training devices safely, and why frail or elderly patients should consult their care team before choosing a device.
When Food and Timing Shape the Effect of an Oral Targeted Cancer Drug — A Guide to Regorafenib
A general guide to taking the oral targeted drug regorafenib at home — dosing time, the low-fat meal requirement, filling prescriptions, and managing common effects like hand-foot skin reaction.
Bowel Obstruction After Repeated Abdominal Surgery: Warning Signs and When Not to Wait
Repeated abdominal surgery can lead to adhesions and bowel obstruction. Don't mistake abdominal swelling, repeated vomiting, and a halt in gas and stool for simple indigestion — early emergency care can prevent serious complications such as sepsis.
When You Throw Up Everything in the First Week of Chemo: Managing Nausea and Preventing Dehydration
A practical guide to getting safely through the nausea and vomiting common in the first week of chemotherapy, including what to do when you vomit your medicine, how to stay hydrated, and the warning signs that mean you should call your care team right away.
Sore, Darkened Skin Around the Anus After Bowel Surgery — Caring for Irritated Perianal Skin
Loose, frequent stools after colon surgery can leave the skin around the anus raw and darkened. Learn home care basics — gentle cleansing, skin barriers, air-drying, diet tweaks — and the warning signs that mean you should see your care team.
After Stoma Reversal: Easing Back Into a Normal Bathroom Routine
After a temporary stoma is reversed, the bowel and anal muscles need time to readjust, often causing frequent bowel movements and Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). This guide explains what to expect and offers practical tips on diet, skin care, and pelvic floor exercises, plus warning signs that need a doctor.
Protein even when you have no appetite: eating to protect muscle during gastric and colorectal cancer treatment
For patients who have had surgery or treatment on the stomach or colon, protein is especially important for recovery and maintaining muscle. This explains, at the patient's level, how to get a little protein at each meal even without an appetite, and which foods are easy to eat without strain.
When your mouth is sore and diarrhea is frequent during chemotherapy: eating tips to still get a spoonful down
This puts together practical eating tips for when mouth sores (oral mucositis) and diarrhea come together during chemotherapy — reducing irritation, focusing on soft foods, and eating small amounts often. It covers foods that hurt the mouth less, such as lukewarm porridge, tofu, and steamed egg, and foods gentle on diarrhea such as plain rice porridge and banana, how to replace fluids in small divided amounts, and the criteria for telling your medical staff right away when signs of dehydration or infection appear.
Anemia and vitamin B12 after stomach surgery: why do they show up later?
When the stomach is removed, stomach acid and intrinsic factor decrease, lowering the absorption of iron and vitamin B12. Iron deficiency can appear relatively early after surgery, while B12 deficiency, because of stored reserves, can show up years later as anemia and neurological symptoms. The key is to supplement with food, iron pills, and B12 injections, and to track the trend with regular blood tests.
Colorectal cancer targeted therapy chosen by gene testing, summarized in one go
Colorectal cancer targeted therapy is a method of choosing drugs based on the results of the tumor's gene test. Characteristics such as the presence of RAS and BRAF mutations, MSI-High, and HER2 are checked to select the matching treatment — EGFR inhibitors, angiogenesis inhibitors, immunotherapy, and so on — and if you know the pattern of side effects in advance and prepare, you can receive treatment while maintaining daily life.
Can colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver still be removed? A look at resectability
Even when colorectal cancer has spread to the liver, surgery can remove it if conditions such as location and the volume of remaining liver are right. Even if resection is not possible at first, conversion therapy that shrinks the tumor with chemotherapy, methods that grow the opposite side of the liver, and radiofrequency ablation or embolization can open the door to surgery. It is worth reconfirming resectability through a multidisciplinary team.