Treatment of gastrointestinal cancer

Gastrointestinal cancer is a malignant disease that is accompanied by the development of a tumor in one of its departments.

The most common neoplasms are:

• esophagus;
• stomach;
• small intestine;
• colon;
• rectum.

At an early stage, they are successfully treated. After radical surgery, more than 90% of patients recover completely. At stage 2, 5-year survival is achieved by 87 to 63% of patients, at stage 3 - from 69 to 40%, at stage 4 - up to 20%.

At the Oxford Medical Medical Center, treatment of gastrointestinal cancer is carried out by oncologists and oncological surgeons of the highest category with more than 20 years of experience. The clinic has all the conditions for accurate diagnostics and therapy, including a high-tech surgical hospital with 2 operating rooms, an intensive care unit and an intensive care unit.

Oxford Medical is one of the largest chains of medical centers in Kyiv and Ukraine. Its main advantage is the selection of a team of highly qualified doctors with many years of experience and equipping the clinics with new equipment from the best brands. Thanks to this, each patient gets the opportunity to undergo thorough diagnostics and receive high-quality medical care.

The oncology department of Oxford Medical treats malignant diseases of various localization. In the modern surgical hospital, operations of any complexity are performed. The clinic also performs chemotherapy, targeted and immune therapy.

To make an appointment for a consultation, call our contact center or write to the chat on the website.

Most gastrointestinal tumors develop asymptomatically. In the early stages, they are detected if the patient undergoes preventive diagnostics or consults a doctor for another reason.

Signs of the disease usually appear at stage 2-3, when the neoplasm increases. It can grow into neighboring organs, causing disruption of their functions, and give distant metastases. Also, as the tumor increases, intoxication of the body occurs, which leads to weakness, decreased appetite, weight loss and prolonged fever.

Symptoms of gastrointestinal cancer are nonspecific. They cannot be used to make a diagnosis, since many other diseases manifest themselves in a similar way.

During the first consultation, the doctor carefully studies the symptoms that concern the patient and the medical history, and also conducts an examination. Based on this, he draws up a diagnostic plan.

If cancer of the digestive system is suspected, the following examinations may be required:

• general blood and urine tests;
• coprogram - stool analysis;
• hemoculture test - stool analysis for occult blood;
• blood tests for tumor markers;
• transrectal ultrasound of the rectum;
• irrigoscopy - X-ray of the intestine with contrast enhancement;
• esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) - endoscopic examination of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum, which allows the examination of the internal membranes of the organs using a miniature camera;
• colonoscopy - endoscopic examination of the rectum;
• sigmoidoscopy - endoscopic examination of the rectum and distal part of the sigmoid colon;
• biopsy – taking a tissue sample of the neoplasm (performed during an endoscopic examination);
• histological analysis – determining the type of neoplasm;
• immunohistochemical analysis is performed when confirming the malignant nature of the tumor to determine its features;
• Ultrasound, CT or MRI of various areas of the body to assess the spread of cancer and detect metastases.

As a rule, ultrasound and laboratory tests are performed for primary diagnosis. These are the simplest studies that allow you to exclude the disease or determine which examinations are needed for a more accurate diagnosis.

In the case of neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract, the most informative are endoscopic studies (gastroscopy, colonoscopy). They involve the introduction of a thin and flexible catheter into the organ cavity, equipped with surgical microinstruments and a miniature video camera. The image from it is enlarged and transmitted to a computer screen, which allows the doctor to carefully examine the mucous membranes of the organs, and if a neoplasm is detected, a biopsy is immediately performed - to take a small tissue sample for analysis.

Only a histological analysis of a tissue sample can confirm or refute cancer. It determines the morphological features of the cells and their malignant nature. To find out how aggressive the tumor is, an immunohistochemical study is also performed.

In addition, to determine the stage of cancer and the presence of distant metastases, a CT scan or MRI of the brain, abdominal and thoracic organs is performed.

Comprehensive therapy is used to treat digestive system cancer. Its program depends on the size of the tumor and the presence of metastases in the lymph nodes and other organs.

In most cases, it includes a different combination of the following methods:

• surgical treatment;
• chemotherapy;
• radiation therapy;
• targeted therapy;
• immune therapy.

When diagnosing cancer at an early stage, surgery to remove the tumor is first performed.

Depending on its size and location, the following are used:

• endoscopic access is the least traumatic procedure, which involves performing manipulations using microsurgical instruments that are inserted into the stomach or intestine through physiological openings;
• laparoscopic access is also a minimally invasive operation, which is performed using special equipment that is inserted into the abdominal cavity through 3 small punctures (up to 1 cm);
• laparotomy access is a classic open operation that is performed in the most difficult cases.

During surgery, surgeons try to remove all malignant tissue. Whenever possible, they perform organ-preserving surgeries, but with significant damage and the spread of the tumor to neighboring tissues, some patients require a more radical procedure.

The Oxford Medical clinic operates a high-tech surgical hospital, where all the conditions are created for performing operations of any complexity. Including an intensive care unit and an intensive care unit equipped with equipment to monitor and support vital body functions.

Sometimes, if cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, removing the tumor is enough for the patient to recover, but most often after surgery, treatment is prescribed to reduce the risk of recurrence. Depending on the indications, the patient is given radiation or chemotherapy. They block the growth of cancer cells and cause their destruction. Due to this, in the case of large tumors, therapy can be carried out before surgery to reduce its size and perform radical removal.

In some cases, targeted and/or immune therapy is also added to the comprehensive treatment program.

Each case is individual, so first a thorough diagnosis is carried out, and then, based on state and international protocols, a treatment program is drawn up, taking into account all the characteristics of the patient.

Having assessed the statistical data, experts noted that digestive system cancer develops more often in people who have several risk factors. The most significant among them are polyps and benign neoplasms, as well as chronic inflammatory diseases and hereditary predisposition. The former increase the risk of oncology by 18-56% depending on the size. Ulcerative colitis over 20 years causes gastrointestinal cancer in 50% of patients, and Crohn's disease - in 15-20%. If there is a family history, the risk increases by 30%.

The probable causes of the development of malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are considered:

• polyps and other benign neoplasms of the stomach and intestines;
• ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, atrophic gastritis, infection with Helicobacter pylori;
• genetic predisposition;
• diabetes mellitus;
• excess body weight;
• smoking;
• alcohol abuse;
• unbalanced diet (predominance of fatty meats, semi-finished products, carcinogenic products).

For timely diagnosis, men and women after 40 years of age are recommended to undergo regular screening examinations. Which ones, the doctor determines individually, taking into account the anamnesis.