Small Intestinal Cancer - Possible Risk Factors You Should Know!

The small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is also called a small bowel. It is about 6 m (20 feet) long. Its upper end is connected to the stomach and lower end is connected to the large intestine. The main function of the small intestine involves the breakdown of the food particles and absorption of nutrients, fats, vitamins, and other substances from it. It is divided into three parts such as duodenum, jejunum, and ileum.

Small intestinal cancer is a very rare disease where the cells in the tissue of the small intestine rapidly grow out of control and form a tumor, and these tumor cells may obstruct the small intestine. It can occur from any part of the small intestine. Males are more likely to develop the disease than females. It is common in the people who are above 60 years of age.

Etiology

Possible risk factors for small intestinal cancer include following conditions:

1. Excessive smoking or drinking alcohol
2. Crohn's disease - It is a condition in which the immune system attacks own GI tract. This disease mostly affects the lower part of the small intestine.
3. Celiac disease - Celiac disease causes gluten (a protein that is found in wheat and other types of grain) intolerance because of which the body makes antibodies which can attack the lining of the intestines. These people have an increased risk of a particular kind of lymphoma of the intestine. They may also have an increased risk of small intestine adenocarcinoma.
4. Radiation exposure
5. Hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes: It involves cancer syndromes, such as familial adenomatous polyposis, hereditary nonpolyposis, colorectal cancer, and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

The most common cancerous (malignant) tumors of the small bowel are as follows:

1. Adenocarcinoma – It is related to the glandular (secretory) cells.
2. Lymphoma – It is related to the lymphatic glands.
3. Sarcoma – It is related to the connective tissues, such as muscle, blood vessels, etc.
4. Carcinoid tumor

All these tumors can invade the bowel wall, spread into adjoining lymph nodes, and even move to distant organs (metastasize).

Signs and symptoms of small intestinal cancer include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Blood in the stool
• Intestinal obstruction
• Weakness
• Anemia (a low number of red blood cells), due to blood loss
• Diarrhea
• Nutritional deficiencies

Following tests are conducted for the diagnosis of intestinal cancer:

• X-rays
• CT or MRI scans
• Endoscopy
• Biopsy from the affected area

Small intestinal cancer can be treated in following ways:

1. Surgery is the main treatment for cancer of the small bowel.
2. Radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be used after surgery or used in combination.