The Moores UCSD Cancer Center is the leading center in San Diego for evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of small (bowel) intestine tumors. We are one of only four centers in Southern California offering double balloon enteroscopy to evaluate and treat the small intestine, which is the most difficult organ to access in the entire GI tract.
Small intestine cancer is a rare disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the small bowel. Large bowel – colon cancer – occurs 50 times more frequently than small intestine cancer.
The types of cancer cells found most often in industrialized countries are adenocarcinoma, which cause about 50% of small intestine tumors. Additional small bowel tumors include:
The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the type of small intestine cancer, whether it has spread to other locations in the body, whether the cancer can be completely removed by surgery, and whether it is newly diagnosed or has recurred.
Causes, Risk Factors & Symptoms
The cause of most small intestine cancers in unknown, but there is speculation that because food moves so quickly through the small bowel, cancer inducing agents have little time to linger and cause problems. Most experts believe that small intestine cancer arises from small benign growths called polyps, which can become malignant over time.
Risk factors for small intestine cancer include Crohn’s disease, celiac sprue disease (gluten intolerance), Peutz-Jegher’s syndrome, and intestinal polyposis. An additional risk factor may be a high-fat diet.
Symptoms of small intestine cancer include pain or cramps in the middle of the abdomen, weight loss with no known reason, a lump in the abdomen, and blood in the stool.
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Diagnostic Imaging and Staging
Treatment Options for Small Intestine Cancer