18-year-old girl with stomach cancer, lost 9kg after more than 2 months
Doctor visits patient after surgery
18-year-old girl with advanced-stage metastatic stomach cancer. This is a special case because stomach cancer usually only appears in people over 60 years old.
Accordingly, the 18-year-old girl (living in Dong Nai) was admitted to Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in a state of prolonged abdominal pain, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting after meals and lost 9kg in just over 2 months. Previously, the patient had undergone endoscopy at another medical facility and was diagnosed with gastritis.
Through endoscopy and biopsy, doctors discovered the patient had diffuse stomach cancer, with the tumor invading the pancreas, transverse colon mesentery, and metastasizing to the peritoneum of the abdominal cavity.
From the moment of admission, the treatment team consulted and developed a multimodal, personalized treatment protocol based on the molecular biological characteristics of the tumor.
After 6 treatment cycles lasting more than 4 months, the patient responded very well to the regimen, the metastatic lesions reduced by 90% in size, the primary tumor shrank markedly. The patient gained 10kg, improved condition and daily activities to near normal.
When eligible, the treatment team performed total gastrectomy, D2 lymph node dissection, and biopsied previously metastatic sites. The operation proceeded safely and smoothly. The patient recovered quickly, ate, moved normally and was discharged 7 days after surgery.
Pathological results after surgery recorded an almost complete response: only about 10% malignant cells remain in the primary tumor, and the pre‑treatment intra‑abdominal metastatic lesions no longer contain cancer cells. Surveys of gene mutations and circulating tumor DNA in the blood were also performed to provide personalized information for prognosis and treatment monitoring. The patient will continue to be closely followed and consider additional therapy—maintenance immunotherapy—to reduce the risk of recurrence.
According to the assessment, this is a special case because gastric cancer usually occurs in people over 60 years old. Detection at age 18 is a clear warning of the trend toward younger onset of this disease.
Prof. Dr. Võ Duy Long - Deputy Head of the Department of Gastroenterology adds that this case demonstrates the effectiveness of multimodal treatment and personalized medicine in advanced gastric cancer. The key to success is close collaboration among specialties, precise diagnosis down to the cellular and molecular level, and developing a regimen tailored to each patient. This result also sends a message to the community: early detection, regular screening, and proper treatment are the keys to increasing the chance of recovery, even in advanced-stage cancer.