Gastrointestinal Cancer

Early Detection & Screening

Some types of GI cancer, including colorectal cancer, are common and can be detected early through routine screening exams. Other types are rare, including small intestine and gallbladder cancer. They may not be diagnosed until they reach an advanced stage. That’s why it’s important to talk to your doctor as soon as you notice any unusual symptoms, such as rectal bleeding or frequent pain in your abdomen.

Diagnosing GI Cancer

Our care teams work closely with you and your referring doctor. We use state-of-the-art diagnostic tools to find the cause of your symptoms.

Gastroenterologists use different methods to find (or rule out) cancer. These tests and procedures include:

• Upper endoscopy—lets doctors look inside your digestive tract with a tiny camera attached to a thin, flexible tube (endoscope).
• Colonoscopy—allows doctors to look inside your colon and rectum with a camera attached to a thin, flexible tube (colonoscope).
• Endoscopic ultrasound—a combined test that takes high-quality pictures of your digestive tract and is often paired with needle biopsy to take a tissue sample.
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)—lets doctors see inside the bile ducts to diagnose cancers of the bile duct, gallbladder and pancreas.

Next Steps

If you’re diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer, your doctor will learn how advanced it is. This is called “staging” the cancer. Whether you are diagnosed early or later in the cancer’s development, we use the latest treatment methods.

GI Cancer Treatment

After receiving a cancer diagnosis, it’s normal to feel afraid and worried. We understand the impact of cancer on so many aspects of your life. We want to ease your anxiety and support you throughout your treatment, recovery, and survivorship.

Our team of cancer specialists will carefully craft your treatment plan. We make sure your therapies are effective and coordinated. Your treatment plan will be based on your specific type of cancer, and whether it is early or advanced.

Advanced Treatment Options

You may receive a mix of medical, surgical or radiation treatments. Our advanced treatment options include:

• Chemotherapy—drugs that kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
• Targeted therapies—drugs that target specific tumor cells to make sure they don’t grow or spread. Genetic testing of tumors determines if you’re eligible for targeted therapy.
• Immunotherapy—drugs that activate the immune system to kill the cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy—a treatment that uses radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Our doctors perform external radiation therapy (a machine outside the body aims radiation at the tumor) and internal radiation therapy (placing tiny capsules of radioactive material near or directly into a tumor).
• Stereotactic body radiation therapy—a new radiation therapy that sends high doses of radiation to a tumor while sparing the surrounding tissue. The Christ Hospital is the only hospital in the area to offer this treatment using advanced EDGE technology.
• Chemoembolization—doctors inject drugs directly into blood vessels that feed a tumor, usually to treat liver cancer.
• Surgery—often used to remove cancerous tissue, tumors or organs. Our surgeons perform many minimally invasive (small or no incisions) as well as open (larger incisions) procedures. Surgeries range from liver resection and gallbladder removal to biliary stent and drain placement.