Stage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Doran's Patient Story

This gastric cancer diagnosis at a glance

Stage at diagnosis
Stage IV
Subtype
Adenocarcinoma
Sex
Female
Spread to
peritoneum|liver|lungs
Treatment
chemotherapy and palliative care
Outcome
In Memory

Treatment course, step by step

  1. She started chemotherapy in June 2014.
  2. Hospice care began on September 24, 2014.

What happened, in summary

Doran Barro was a healthy, active 75-year-old woman living in Arizona when she began feeling acid reflux, early fullness after only a few bites, nausea, and a tightening sensation in her stomach in March 2014. After repeated testing, she was diagnosed on May 9 with signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

She started chemotherapy in June. A laparoscopic procedure in August showed Stage IV disease extending beyond the stomach wall, with spread involving the abdominal lining, liver, lungs, and many lymph nodes. She then developed multiple pulmonary embolisms and fluid buildup around the lungs and in the abdomen.

Her strength declined quickly as the cancer progressed. Hospice care began on September 24, and she died on September 30, 2014, about 5 months after diagnosis.

Doran was remembered as a beloved wife, mother of 4, grandmother of 12, great-grandmother of 9, and her daughter’s closest friend.

Where this story comes from

This is a lay summary of an account first published by No Stomach For Cancer. Read the original in full

How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations

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These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer

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