Gastrointestinal Oncology

Types of Gastrointestinal Cancer:

• Esophageal Cancer: It affects the esophagus, which is the tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Swallowing difficulties, chest pain, weight loss, and a persistent cough are all common symptoms.
• Stomach Cancer: Also known as gastric cancer, it develops in the stomach lining. Abdominal pain, unintended weight loss, nausea, and blood in the stool are all possible symptoms.
• Liver Cancer: Liver cancer can start in the liver or spread from elsewhere in the body. Common symptoms include abdominal pain or swelling, skin or eye yellowing (jaundice), and unexplained weight loss.
• Gallbladder Cancer: This type of cancer develops in the gallbladder, which is a tiny organ that contains bile. Abdominal pain, jaundice, fever, and nausea are all symptoms.
• Pancreatic Cancer: It develops in the pancreas, a critical organ responsible for the production of digesting enzymes and insulin. Abdominal pain, unplanned weight loss, jaundice, and digestive issues are all symptoms.
• Colorectal Cancer: It is a type of cancer that affects the colon or rectum. Changes in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, stomach pain, and unexplained weight loss are all possible symptoms.

When should you consider seeing our experts?

Gastrointestinal cancers can manifest in different ways, primarily depending on the type of malignancy and its stage. Here are some symptoms for which you should consider seeing our specialists:

• Unusual tiredness and weakness
• Easily noticeable bruising and bleeding
• Reduced appetite
• Unusual weight loss
• Abnormal mouth sores
• Presence of blood in stool
• Coughing up blood
• Jaundice like symptoms
• Buildup of fluids in the abdomen
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Changes in bowel habits

How we diagnose you

In order to diagnose you, our team starts by performing a thorough physical examination and assessing your medical history. Based on these, further tests may be recommended, which include:

• Routine blood assessments
• Biopsy
• Colonoscopy
• Endoscopy
• Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI
• Computed tomography or CT scan
• Positron emission tomography or PET scan

Treatment

At Surya, our experienced team of experts is committed to providing people suffering from gastrointestinal cancer with personalised treatment options and support.

Various treatment modalities that we specialize in include:

• Surgery: The aim of the surgery is to remove the tumor along with the infected organ, surrounding tissues and affected lymph nodes. The surgical interventions vary depending on the type, severity and stage of the cancer. Common surgical modalities used by our team include colectomy, rectal resection, esophagectomy, gastrectomy, lymph node dissection, Whipple procedure and hepatectomy.
• Chemotherapy: The treatment uses a combination of drugs, given orally or intravenously, to target and destroy cancer cells. It is one of the most common and preferred treatment options for managing gastrointestinal cancer. It can be recommended during the early stage of cancer, and even when it has progressed and metastasized.
• Radiation Therapy: It uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Advanced procedures such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) ensure targeted treatment while causing minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissues.
• Targeted Therapy: The procedure aims at targeting specific DNA molecules that are responsible for triggering the uncontrolled multiplication of cells and tissues. The treatment does not work the same for everyone and the effectiveness may vary depending on the specific DNA mutations.
• Immunotherapy: The treatment may be preferred for managing a variety of GI cancers and involves the harnessing of the patients immune response, making it capable of fighting and killing cancer cells.