Palliative Care for Gastric Cancer: 21 Real Stories

HER2-Positive Metastatic Stomach Cancer Presenting With Tumor Lysis Syndrome

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: HER2 positive

Metastatic Site: liver

His metastatic gastric cancer progressed despite FOLFOX6 and trastuzumab. He entered hospice about 1 year later and died a few months afterward.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Stage IV Stomach Cancer With Recurrent Bowel Obstruction and Severe Pain

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: splenic flexure|perineal nodule

He remained on palliative treatment more than 6 months after the described admission and had 3 additional hospitalizations for recurrent partial small-bowel obstruction, all managed without surgery.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Recurrent gastric cancer with bone metastases, venous thrombosis and chylothorax

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: bone

Biopsy-confirmed bone recurrence developed more than a year after surgery. He was too unwell for palliative chemotherapy and died a few months after transition to best supportive care.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Recurrent gastric cancer with peritoneal spread and a difficult intestinal fistula

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: peritoneum

About 10 years after her original gastrectomy, recurrent gastric cancer with peritoneal spread progressed despite palliative procedures. She died 3 months after her final reoperation.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Synchronous gastric and pancreatic adenocarcinomas in a 76-year-old woman

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 70+

Her health declined with repeated hospitalizations and failure to thrive. She could not tolerate treatment, transitioned to palliative care, and died shortly afterward.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma first discovered through a malignant pleural effusion

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: pleura, lungs, diaphragm, bone

Soon after diagnosis, worsening malignant pleural effusions led to respiratory failure, shock and renal failure. Life-support measures were withdrawn and he was terminally extubated.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Stage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Doran's Patient Story

Patient Info: Doran Barro, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: peritoneum|liver|lungs

Doran entered hospice on September 24 and died on September 30, 2014, about 5 months after diagnosis.

Stage IV gastric cancer treated with chemotherapy and hyperthermia in a patient with a vagus nerve stimulator

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 50s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: para-aortic lymph nodes, peritoneum

The gastric tumors and lymph-node disease initially shrank during treatment, but peritoneal dissemination developed. He died from progressive gastric cancer 8 months after treatment began.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Gastric Cancer Forming a Fistula Into the Liver

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: liver|lungs

The cancer recurred locally with liver deposits 4 months after surgery and later spread to the liver and lungs. She declined further treatment, entered palliative care, and died in hospital about 2 months later.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Stage IV gastric cancer with gastric outlet obstruction treated with a stent

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: para-aortic lymph nodes

The second stent allowed her to continue eating solid food. She died from progressive gastric cancer 3 months after the repeat stent procedure.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Metastatic Gastric Cancer Causing Severe Hormone-Related Complications

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+ | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: HER2 negative; Ki-67 70%; CD56 positive; synaptophysin positive; weak chromogranin expression; ectopic ACTH secretion; elevated serum chromogranin A

Metastatic Site: liver

His liver metastases enlarged despite carboplatin, and his weight loss, appetite, and mobility worsened. He received palliative care during a later admission and died a few days afterward.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Ramucirumab and paclitaxel for metastatic gastric cancer in a patient receiving hemodialysis

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: liver, distant lymph nodes

After about 16 months of disease control on paclitaxel plus ramucirumab, multiple liver metastases and distant lymph nodes progressed. Third-line irinotecan was stopped after severe toxicity, and supportive care followed.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Gastric Cancer Presenting With Painful Skeletal Muscle Metastases

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 40s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: skeletal muscles

He had painful skeletal muscle metastases, an ECOG performance score of 3, and advanced gastric cancer that was not suitable for tumor-directed treatment. His care focused on palliation and end-of-life support.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Hemodialysis used to manage 5-FU toxicity during treatment of Stage IV gastric cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: para-aortic lymph nodes, meninges

After a partial response to 7 cycles of chemotherapy, carcinomatous meningitis developed. Treatment was stopped, best supportive care was started, and he died 2 months later.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Dural metastasis causing seizures after treatment for signet-ring gastric cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: dura mater

She died 16 days after hospital admission for neurologic symptoms, roughly 8 months after the original gastric-cancer diagnosis, following rapid deterioration from diffuse dural metastatic disease.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Vision changes leading to diagnosis of unresectable gastric adenocarcinoma

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 50s

With unresectable gastric adenocarcinoma and poor overall condition, he did not start chemotherapy and chose palliative care.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Fatal Emphysematous Gastritis in a Woman With Gastric Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

The stomach-wall infection improved, but oral feeding remained impossible because of cancer-related gastric stasis. She later developed acute pancreatitis and died.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Stage IV gastric cancer presenting with chylothorax and lymphedema

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: distant lymph nodes, pleura, peritoneum

She died 6 months after the Stage IV gastric-cancer diagnosis despite chemotherapy and repeated treatment of the malignant pleural effusions.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Metastatic gastric cancer with suspected spread to an extraocular muscle

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: ovary, mesentery, neck subcutaneous tissue, thoracic…

She died 3 months after the eye presentation, more than 2 years after the gastric-cancer diagnosis.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Gastric cancer causing obstructive jaundice after prior Billroth II surgery

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+

After biliary stenting and inpatient rehabilitation, he was discharged home with palliative support.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Stage III Gastric Cancer: Holly's Patient Story

Patient Info: Holly Clegg, Female | Stage III

She was receiving hospice support at home while continuing gastric-cancer advocacy and fundraising.