The episode will air on EBS1 at 9:55 PM on Friday, September 6th.
The peritoneum is a thin membrane that surrounds and protects the organs in our stomach. Peritoneal cancer can be broadly divided into two types: primary peritoneal cancer, which starts in the peritoneum, and metastatic peritoneal cancer, which starts in another organ and then spreads.
The rate of metastatic peritoneal cancer is 97%, and primary peritoneal cancer is 3%, so most peritoneal cancers can be said to be metastatic peritoneal cancers. Since it is a cancer that has metastasized from various organs such as the ovaries, uterus, stomach, liver, small intestine, large intestine, and pancreas, most patients are diagnosed with cancer in stages 3 and 4. In addition, the prognosis is poor, with a recurrence rate of 80% within 5 years.
However, although it is a difficult and fatal disease, there is a doctor who does not give up on patients. The message he conveys to patients is, “Peritoneal metastasis and peritoneal cancer treatment are difficult, but they are not absolutely impossible, so you must not give up on treatment!”
Let’s meet peritoneal cancer and its treatment methods, as well as the doctors and patients who are winning the battle with peritoneal cancer.
I’m a man and need gynecological treatment?
A couple is sitting side by side in front of an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, waiting for their appointment. However, the person being examined is not the wife, but the husband. How did he end up seeing an obstetrician and gynecologist? A man who usually enjoys exercising and is healthy. However, his stomach kept bloating, so he had an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in April of this year for a health checkup, but the results were only that there was nothing wrong. Finally, in May, he found the cause through a laparoscopy, and the disease that caused his stomach to bloat was ‘peritoneal cancer’, which he had never heard of before. Furthermore, he was shocked to hear that the cancer had already spread throughout his organs and was in stage 4. The couple searched around and found an obstetrician and gynecologist who specializes in peritoneal cancer. Let’s take a look at the journey of a man who started chemotherapy for peritoneal cancer that is difficult to find the primary site of.
Half of metastatic peritoneal cancers are ovarian cancers
The keyword that can never be left out when talking about metastatic peritoneal cancer is ‘ovarian cancer’. The most common primary site for metastatic peritoneal cancer is the ovary, and about half of metastatic peritoneal cancer patients are ovarian cancer patients. A woman in her 40s who was living abroad with her husband who worked for an international organization went to the hospital one day because she had indigestion and felt bloated. The couple, who intuitively felt it was cancer after hearing the blood test results, quickly boarded a flight to Korea and returned to Korea. It took only 6 days from the test to the return, and in the meantime, the woman’s condition worsened to the point where she could hardly walk. She was in a serious situation where the cancer that originated in the ovary had metastasized to the peritoneum and other parts of her stomach. However, she still had three young children and a loving husband, so she went under the knife with the hope of getting better quickly. Will her wish come true?
Still can live well
Peritoneal cancer is usually stage 3 or 4 when discovered, requiring major surgery to remove the peritoneum and surrounding organs. In addition, the 5-year recurrence rate of peritoneal cancer is 80%, so patients cannot let their guard down even if the surgery was successful. However, there are patients who have survived for more than 10 years despite having metastasized to the peritoneum. Furthermore, considering the rapid advancement of medicine and science, doctors assert that peritoneal cancer treatment is difficult but not absolutely impossible. A woman in her 50s who had peritoneal cancer surgery 10 years ago and was about to have her 10th regular checkup. She is afraid of going for the checkup every year, but every time she hears that she is healthy without recurrence, she vows to herself, “I have to live another year well,” and she says she has started a second life. Let’s hear the stories of patients who are fighting and overcoming peritoneal cancer from doctors!
On the episode titled ‘It’s Too Early to Give Up – Peritoneal Cancer’ that will air on EBS 1TV at 9:55 PM on Friday, September 6, we will look into the unfamiliar term peritoneal cancer and learn more about how to treat it.
Reporter Park Yu-mi Photo EBS
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2024-09-06 21:44:10