GI Malignancy Surgery
Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer involves formation of malignant cells in the patient’s stomach lining. These changes, however, produce symptoms like pain in the abdomen, loss of hunger, or vomiting.
A cancer occurring in the lower part of the digestive tract, including the intestines, colon, and rectum is colorectal cancer. It is the most common and treatable GI malignancy. Early cases can start as non-cancerous polyps and are typically detected by screening.
Most GI cancers (about 90-95 percent) are called Adenocarcinomas. The other types include lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma, carcinoid tumors, and stromal tumors.
Are there Any Risk Factors
According to Dr. Mainak Pal, considered as the best gastrointestinal surgeon in Kolkata, the risks of getting GI cancer significantly increase with the following factors:
- Helicobacter Pylori Bacterium infection that may lead to inflammation of the inner layer of your gut, thereby causing precancerous changes leading to cancer
- A diet rich in salted and smoked food
- Smoking
- Alcohol abuse
- Eating red meat excessively
- Previous stomach surgery like removal of stomach tissue
- Minetrier’s disease
- Pernicious anemia
- A history of GI cancer in the family
- Family cancer syndromes, including Lynch syndrome
- Stomach polyps (benign growths)
What are Its Symptoms
If you are in the early stages of gastric cancer, the symptoms may include:
- Loss of appetite
- Mild nausea
- Bloated feeling after meal
- Stomach discomfort
- Heartburn
- Repeated vomiting (Gastric Outlet Obstruction)
In the advanced stages, you may experience these symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Blood in the feces
- Stomach pain
- Unexplained weight loss
If you have been experiencing the above mentioned symptoms over a long time, you should immediately see a reputed gastro surgeon in Kolkata.
Diagnosis of GI Cancer
If the surgeon suspects gastric cancer, you will be advised to have a gartroscopy of the upper gastrointestinal system. Another technique used for diagnosing GI cancer is Endoscopic Ultrasound. And finally a ct scan is required for staging.
GI Malignancy Surgery in Kolkata
It is the most preferred treatment type used for stomach cancer. If clinical staging shows that surgery will possibly be effective for you, your surgeon might perform any of the following operations:
- Total gastrectomy: It is the removal of whole stomach, as well as parts of the small bowel and sometimes esophagus, and any other tissues that have been affected near the tumor.
- Subtotal gastrectomy: This is the partial removal of the stomach, including parts that contain the cancer, as well as parts of organs or tissues adjacent to the tumor.
- Colectomy: It is the removal of either a part or the whole of the colon and is also known as the large bowel resection. In rare cases, a colostomy may be needed after colectomy.