What is small intestine cancer?

Small intestine cancer is also known as small bowel cancer or a small intestine tumor. The small intestine or small bowel is the part of the intestines that connects the stomach to the colon, or large intestine. There are five different types of cancer that can grow in the wall of the small bowel. Small intestine cancer is very rare. It is estimated that there are about 7,000 new cases of small intestine cancer diagnosed in the United States each year.

The early symptoms of small intestine cancer are usually not specific for small intestine cancer. Small intestine cancer can be difficult to identify because of how the cancer often grows deep within the abdominal cavity. For this reason, small intestine cancer is often not found until a later stage when the cancer is advanced. When small intestine cancer is in an advanced stage, it is very difficult to treat.

When small intestine cancer develops into an advanced stage, a person may experience other symptoms such loss of appetite, watery diarrhea or constipation, internal bleeding, intestinal blockage, and weight loss. It is important to remember that there are other medical conditions that are less serious that can cause these symptoms similar too.

The signs and symptoms of small intestine cancer include diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, fevers, constipation, blood in the stools or in vomit, vomited blood from the intestine, weight loss, jaundice, iron deficiency anemia, fatigue, nausea and vomiting after eating.

You have a higher risk of developing small intestine cancer if you are a smoker, use alcohol excessively, have been exposed to radiation, consume a poor diet, have celiac disease or Crohn's disease, are a male, possess certain genetic traits, or have had colon cancer.

Treatment for small bowel cancer usually includes surgery to remove the tumor in the small intestine, radiation therapy to kill cancer cells or shrink the tumor, or chemotherapy to kill cancer cells where the tumor is located or wherever the cancer has spread to throughout the body. There are also clinical trials available that involve new treatments that researchers are experimenting with. This may include new anticancer drugs or biologic therapy that use your own immune system to fight the cancer.