Gastrointestinal Cancer

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer refers to malignant tumors arising within the gastrointestinal tract. A wide definition of gastrointestinal tract includes hollow organ, solid organ and biliary system. Our discussions here are limited to hollow organs, including the esophagus, stomach, small bowels, colon and rectum. The symptoms usually associated with the location, and include obstruction (difficulty swallowing or defecating), abnormal bleeding, or others. The diagnosis often requires endoscope with biopsy. The treatment is determined by the tumor site, the cell type and whether it has invaded other tissues or spread elsewhere in the body (staging). Staging also determines the prognosis. Another signs include unusually husky, raspy, or hoarse-sounding cough. It is due to the recurrent laryngeal nerve affected by tumor. The tumor can disrupt normal peristalsis and leads to nausea and vomiting, regurgitation, coughing and aspiration pneumonia. The tumor surface is fragile and easy bleeding, which may cause hematemesis. In advanced disease, compression of local structures leads to an upper airway obstruction and superior vena cava syndrome.

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Last date updated on April, 2024