Small Intestine Cancer
Small intestine cancer is also called small bowel cancer. It starts in the small intestine, which is the largest part of the digestive tract, the path that food takes through your body. So the symptoms are mostly related to eating and digestion.
They include:
- Blood in your stool
- Pain or cramping around your stomach or gut
- A lump in your abdomen
- Weight loss that you didn’t expect
- Nausea and vomiting
There's more to learn about small intestine cancer
A risk factor is anything that increases your risk for a disease.
Small intestine cancer is rare, and it happens more often in people who are 80 or older, more commonly in men.
Some medical conditions that affect the digestive tract are risk factors, including:
- Crohn’s disease
- Celiac disease
- Lynch syndrome
- Peutz-Jegherssyndrome
- Familial adenomatous polyposis
And some lifestyle choices are risk factors, such as:
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol use
- A high-fat diet
If you have symptoms of small intestine cancer, your doctor will discuss your symptoms and your medical history with you.
To check for cancer, your doctor may have you go for imaging tests such as X-rays, CT, MRI, or PET scans.
Liver function tests and other blood tests can also be used to check for blood in your stool.
Your doctor might also recommend a procedure called an endoscopy, in which a long, thin tube with a camera in it is inserted into your body to look for tumors in the intestine.
Surgery is often the best option to remove all or part of the small intestine. This can be done with a traditional open procedure or with a laparoscopic technique. In laparoscopic surgery, small “keyhole” cuts are made in your abdomen, and the surgeon inserts tiny instruments and a tube with a tiny camera to guide the procedure.
Chemotherapy and radiation also may be used to kill any cancer cells that weren’t removed in the surgery.
Every cancer diagnosis is unique.
That’s why getting a second opinion matters. Our cancer experts can confirm your diagnosis and help you understand all your treatment options.
At UI Health Care, we work as a team to treat your small intestine cancer.
Your team of specialists includes experts who specialize in treating patients who have small intestine cancer.
The team brings together surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, pathologists, pharmacists, genetics counselors, nurses, and others, all focused on making a treatment plan personalized for you and your cancer.
Treatment plans may include:
Our doctors also are researchers who keep up to date on the latest advances in small intestine cancer care, so we can offer clinical trials of promising new therapies not yet widely available.
Our Care Team
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