Intestinal Cancer (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Duodenal cancer, Ileal cancer, Jejunal cancer, Small intestine cancer

Your small intestine is part of your digestive system. It is a long tube that connects your stomach to your large intestine. Intestinal cancer is rare, but eating a high-fat diet or having Crohn's disease, celiac disease, or a history of colonic polyps can increase your risk.

Abdominal pain or lumps, weight loss for no reason or blood in the stool can be symptoms. Imaging tests that create pictures of the small intestine and the area around it can help diagnose intestinal cancer and show whether it has spread.

Surgery is the most common treatment. Additional options include chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.

National Cancer Institute

Start Here

Small Intestine Cancer (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/smallintestine/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/intestinodelgado/patient/
What Are Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1x_What_Are_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumors.asp?sitearea

Latest News

Pill Camera Works Well in Elderly(10/24/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70821.html
Fiber May Protect Against Small Bowel Cancer(10/24/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70814.html
Acrylamide Doesn't Raise Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk(10/20/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70635.html

Diagnosis/Symptoms

How Are Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Diagnosed?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3x_How_Are_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumors_Diagnosed.asp?sitearea
How Are Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Staged?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3x_How_Are_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumors_Staged.asp?sitearea
How Is Small Intestine Adenocarcinoma Diagnosed?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3x_How_Is_Small_Intestine_Adenocarcinoma_Diagnosed.asp?rnav=cri
How Is Small Intestine Adenocarcinoma Staged?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_small_intestine_adenocarcinoma_staged.asp?rnav=cri
Understanding Capsule Endoscopy(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=390
Upper Endoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/upperendoscopy/
Upper GI Series(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/uppergi/

Treatment

How Are Gastrointestional Stromal Tumors Treated?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4x_Introduction_81.asp?rnav=cri
How Is Small Intestine Adenocarcinoma Treated?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_How_is_small_intestine_adenocarcinoma_treated.asp?rnav=cri

Prevention/Screening

What Are the Risk Factors for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2x_What_Are_the_Risk_Factors_for_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumors.asp?sitearea=

Disease Management

What Happens After Treatment for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_5x_What_Happens_After_Treatment_for_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumor.asp?sitearea

Specific Conditions

Appendix Cancer(American Society of Clinical Oncology) - http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Appendix+Cancer

Related Issues

What Should You Ask Your Doctor about GIST?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_5x_What_Should_You_Ask_Your_Doctor_About_GIST.asp?sitearea

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Duodenal Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Duodenal+Neoplasms%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Gastrointestinal+Stromal+Tumors%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Ileal Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Ileal+Neoplasms%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Jejunal Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Jejunal+Neoplasms%22

Genetics

Do We Know What Causes Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2x_Do_We_Know_What_Causes_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumors.asp?sitearea
Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome(American Society of Clinical Oncology) - http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Juvenile+Polyposis+Syndrome

Research

Imatinib 'Treatment Holiday' Risks Disease Progression(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/GIST0407
What’s New in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Research and Treatment?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_6x_Whats_New_in_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumor_Research_and_Treatment.asp?sitearea

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: A rare cause of duodenal obstruction. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18791119&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Consensus statement on the loco-regional treatment of appendiceal mucinous neoplasms... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18726894&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Jejunal adenocarcinoma: still an elusive diagnosis. Case report and review... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18709788&tool=MedlinePlus
Intestinal Cancer -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(intestinal+neoplasms[majr]+NOT+colorectal+neoplasms[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Dictionary of Cancer Terms(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/

Directories

Find an Oncologist(American Society of Clinical Oncology) - http://www.cancer.net/patient/Diagnosis+and+Treatment/Finding+Quality+Care/Find+an+Oncologist/Find+an+Oncologist+Database

Organizations

American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/
National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/

Statistics

Cancer of the Small Intestine(National Cancer Institute) - http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/smint.html
What Are the Key Statistics about Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1x_What_Are_the_Key_Statistics_About_Gastrointestinal_Stromal_Tumors.asp?sitearea

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Colorectal Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/colorectalcancer.html
Stomach Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stomachcancer.html
Cancers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancers.html
Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Intestinal Cancer is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/