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Intestinal Cancer
Summary
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.
Possible signs of small intestine cancer include:
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss for no reason
- Blood in the stool
- A lump in the abdomen
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 therapy, or a combination.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
Patient Handouts
- Abdominal radiation – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
- After chemotherapy – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
- Enteroscopy Medical Encyclopedia
- Radiation enteritis Medical Encyclopedia
- Small bowel resection Medical Encyclopedia
- Small bowel resection – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
Find an Expert
- American Cancer Society American Cancer Society
- Find a Cancer Doctor American Society of Clinical Oncology
- National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
- Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services National Cancer Institute
Statistics and Research
- Cancer Statistics: Small Intestine Cancer National Cancer Institute
Children
- Childhood Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Childhood Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Treatment National Cancer Institute
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Duodenal Neoplasms National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors National Institutes of Health
Reference Desk
- Dictionary of Cancer Terms National Cancer Institute
Treatments and Therapies
- Drugs Approved for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors National Cancer Institute
- Small bowel resection – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia
- Small Intestine Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Treating Small Intestine Cancer (Adenocarcinoma) American Cancer Society
- Treatment Option Overview (Small Intestine Cancer) National Cancer Institute
Encyclopedia
- Enteroclysis Medical Encyclopedia
- Intestinal leiomyoma Medical Encyclopedia
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Risk Factors American Cancer Society
- Risk Factors for Small Intestine Cancer (Adenocarcinoma)? American Cancer Society
Diagnosis and Tests
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Stages and Other Prognostic Factors American Cancer Society
- Small Intestine Cancer (Adenocarcinoma) Stages American Cancer Society
- Stages of Small Intestine Cancer National Cancer Institute
- Tests for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors American Cancer Society
- Tests for Small Intestine Cancer (Adenocarcinoma) American Cancer Society
- Understanding Capsule Endoscopy American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
- Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Series National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Upper GI Endoscopy National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Genetics
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumor: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- What Causes Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors? American Cancer Society
Start Here
- General Information about Small Intestine Cancer National Cancer Institute
- What Are Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors? American Cancer Society
Living With
- Living as a Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Survivor American Cancer Society
- Living as a Small Intestine Cancer Survivor American Cancer Society