Peritoneal Cancer Surgery

Peritoneal Cancer Surgery Is Often First Exploratory Step Toward Treatment.

Peritoneal cancer surgery is often recommended as one of three major treatment procedures when the lining of the abdominal cavity, called the peritoneum, shows symptoms of cancer infestation. Initial symptoms often mirror those of ovarian cancer, such as a feeling of constant bloating, vaginal bleeding, diarrhea and constipation, nausea, unintended weight loss or gain, and a decrease in appetite. Peritoneal cancer surgery is often used as an exploratory device to pin down the location of the tumor or to check out unidentified masses in the pelvic region. If a tumor is found in this area during peritoneal cancer surgery, it can be removed and other treatments pursued. Another treatment method often scheduled following peritoneal cancer surgery is a regimen of chemotherapy, involving the injection of anti-cancer drugs into a patient's veins to combat the spread of peritoneal cancer cells.

Patients who choose not to opt for peritoneal cancer surgery often choose this treatment method first because they are able to be treated on an out-patient basis without being hospitalized. Most chemotherapy treatments are given a week apart or two to three weeks apart in frequency at most. Sometimes peritoneal cancer surgery will reveal that the cancer has metastacized or spread to other organs of the body and is in an advanced stage. In this case, perioteneal cancer surgery dictates that supportive care is the only treatment option available.

In this form of treatment, the patient is made as comfortable as possible in dealing with the effects of the cancer, such as pain and weight loss, in addition to draining accumulated fluids from the abdominal cavity as necessary in a procedure called abdominal paracentesis. The decision to go ahead with peritoneal cancer surgery is one that can best be made by the patient in consultation with his or her physician. Factors to be considered include how advanced the peritoneal cancer is, if the cancer has spread from the abdominal cavity to other nearby organs, the lymph nodes or organs elsewhere in the body, along with the age and general health condition of the patient.