Gastrointestinal Cancer surgery in Delhi, symptoms of GI Cancers, Delhi, India

1. Gastrointestinal Cancer surgeryinDelhi, symptomsofGICancers,Delhi,India| Dr. NeerajGoel Gastrointestinal Cancer SurgeryinDelhi WhatareGastrointestinal(GI)Cancers? Gastrointestinaltractpertains to the part ofthe bodywhichhelps indigestion, assimilation and excretion of the eaten food materials. It starts from the esophagus,goes onto stomach, smallintestine, largeintestine,rectum and ends atanus(theanalopening or theexcretoryorifice).Itsapproximatelength is6 meters. Italsoinvolvesotheraccessoryorgans whichaidindigestionlike, liver,gallbladder andbiliarysystemand pancreas.

2. Gastrointestinal(GI)canceristhe termgivento canceraffectinganyofthese organs. WhataretheGeneral features ofGI Cancers? Majorityofthese cancersarelifestylerelated.They are the resultofone or morelifestylerelated problemssuchas Obesity  Alcohol  Smoking  So it implies that majority of these cancers can be prevented by adoption of healthylifestyle. Thesecancersareverymuchamenableto screening.Suchasfor colorectal cancers- Colonoscopycan be easily performed.Similarlyinsomecountries like Japanthereisscreeningprogram for esophagealandstomachcancers bytheuseofUpperGI Endoscopy. Certain infections are knownto cause cancersintheGISystemlikeHepatitis B and hepatitis C for liver cancer. These infections are treatable now and Hepatitis Binfection ispreventablebytheuseofvaccineavailable. The risk ofthese cancersincreases withageespecially after 50years ofage. Butrecently the incidence isincreasing rapidlyin the younger agegroup.It may belifestylerelated or geneticallymodulated. WhataredifferentGICancers? Themajortypesofcancersare Esophageal(foodpipe)Cancer 

3. StomachCancer  ColorectalCancers  Gallbladdercancer  PancreaticCancer  LiverCancer  WhatarethesymptomsofGI Cancers? Unfortunately these cancers do not cause much symptoms early or cause symptoms whichareeasilyignored.Thesymptoms dependuponthe location ofthe cancer.Themajorsymptoms ofGICancersare AbdominalPain is a commonfeature forgallbladder and pancreaticcancer.Pain can be thereincolonic cancers also.  Esophagealcancerspatientshavedifficulty inswallowing  Stomachcancer patientshave symptoms ofindigestionorhyepracidityorvomitingafter meals.  Gallbladder cancerpresent withrightupperabdominalpainand sometimesjaundice  Pancreaticcancers can havepain andjaundice.  Colorectalcancerspresentwitheitherbleedingfromanal orificeor recentonsetconstipationor blackcoloredstoolsor sometimes even asappendicitis pain  Lossofappetiteandloss ofweight  HowareGI CancersDiagnosed?

4. The diagnosis ofthe disease.Ifyourdoctorsuspects GIcancerdepending upon your symptoms he may advise one or more of the following investigations: Endoscopy to look for any change in the lining of the esophagus, stomachor earlysmallintestine.  Colonoscopy tocheckforpolyps,cancersinto the largeintestine  Imaging likeCTscan,MRI,PETScandependingupon the disease as prescribedbythe doctor  Biopsy of the lesions seen in during endoscopy or lesions seen on imagingasthecase may be  BloodInvestigations involvingroutineblood tests andcertaintumor markerslikeCEA,CA19-9 and others.  Whatisthetreatment ofGI Cancers? ThetreatmentoftheGICancersinvolvessurgery, chemotherapy and radiationbeing appliedindifferent combinations.The treatmentisdependent upontheclinicalstageofthe disease. Ifthe tumoris early diagnosedsurgerymaybewhatallisneeded.Butincertainscenarios chemotherapyand radiation arerequired tobegiven before thesurgery. Similarlychemotherapyandradiationmayalso be requiredafterthe surgery. Surgeryperformed canbe openorLaparoscopic (keyholeorMinimally Invasive).Surgeryaimsat complete removalofthetumoralong witha margin ofnormaltissueand thenrestorethenormalGIFunction. Forliver cancer transplantation isalso possible in certain cases.