| A cancer diagnosis is devastating. A stage IV | | | | is called Sutent. Gleevec is usually the first line of |
| cancer diagnosis is even worse. Primary Peritoneal | | | | defense. This drug is a protein inhibitor that |
| Cancer Prognosis is not great but it is manageable. | | | | attacks the tumor and shrinks it. It has a 70% |
| This cancer mimics ovarian cancer in that few | | | | success rate which is unheard of for most kinds |
| symptoms show up until it is quite advanced. | | | | of cancer. |
| Standard treatments include surgery and | | | | Interestingly, it was initially used in the treatment |
| chemotherapy. | | | | of leukemia and was used by a doctor as a last |
| There are other forms cancer that seem to hide | | | | ditch effort for a patient who was dying of GIST. |
| or be misdiagnosed until they are very advanced. | | | | It is now standard protocol for GIST treatment. |
| One is GIST-Gastro Intestinal Stroma tumor. Just | | | | Gleevec is not without its side effects but most |
| a few years ago, a diagnosis of this stomach lining | | | | are manageable. One of them is short term |
| tumor was enough to start making funeral | | | | memory loss. That's not a big deal to you are in |
| arrangements. But that is not the case now. | | | | line at the post office and can't remember where |
| Thanks to advances in research and actually | | | | the package your are mailing is supposed to go. |
| separating this type of tumor from other cancers | | | | Primary peritoneal cancer prognosis will also be |
| that were all lumped into the stomach cancer | | | | more favorable as other drugs are developed for |
| category, a diagnosis of GIST is no more an | | | | treatment of this specific type of Cancer. |
| immediate death sentence. | | | | Research is ongoing and breakthroughs are being |
| A couple of drugs on the market have made a | | | | made all the time. |
| big difference. One is called Gleevec and the other | | | | |