Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Intestinal cancer, which is also called duodenal cancer, ileal cancer, jejunal cancer, and small intestine cancer, is a rare type of cancer. Thesmall intestineis the part of the digestive tract between the esophagus and the stomach. It is where food is digested and vitamins and minerals are absorbed.
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Types of Intestinal Cancer
There are five types of cancer that occur in the small intestine: adenocarcinoma, carcinoid tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, lymphoma, and sarcoma.
Adenocarcinoma
The most common type of cancer in the small intestine is adenocarcinoma. This form starts in the glandular cells that line the small intestine.
The tumors that occur in this type of cancer most often start at the beginning of the small intestine, closer to the stomach. If a tumor grows large enough, it may cause a blockage in the small intestine.
What Is Adenocarcinoma?
Carcinoid Tumors
This form of cancer starts in a type of cell that’s found throughout the body, including the small intestine, called neuroendocrine cells. These cells make the hormones that are involved in digestion. A carcinoid tumor may start in these cells, though it is rare. This type of cancer is slow-growing.
What Is Carcinoid Cancer?
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
This type of cancer is not common. It begins in cells in the small intestine that are called interstitial cells of Cajal. These cells serve as a kind of traffic signal for the muscles in the digestive system (including the small intestine). Cancer can begin in these cells.
A gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) may require different treatments than other types of small intestine cancers.
What Is Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST)?
Lymphoma
This type of cancer starts in the lymph nodes. These nodes are part of the lymphatic system that runs throughout the body, including in the abdomen, and aids our immune system. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the type most often seen in the small intestine. This type of small intestine cancer is associated with celiac disease.
An Overview of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Sarcoma
The type of sarcoma that occurs in small intestine cancer is called leiomyosarcoma. The small intestine is lined with smooth muscle cells. These muscles move food along through the intestines as they contract. A leiomyosarcoma starts in these smooth muscle cells.
This type of cancer is located more commonly in the last section of the small intestine, which is closer to the large intestine.
Facing Treatment for Leiomyosarcoma
Intestinal Cancer Symptoms
It’s important to seek help from a healthcare professional if digestive symptoms become bothersome.Blood in the stoolis never normal, but it is not always a sign of cancer. Even if it has happened before, you should always discuss it with a healthcare provider.
Extreme abdominal pain, vomiting, and constipation could mean that the intestine has become blocked. These symptoms are a reason to seek care immediately.
The signs and symptoms of intestinal cancer can include:
In some cases, it’s not well understood what can cause small intestine cancer. There are, however, several risk factors that are known:
A diagnosis of small intestine cancer may be made through the use of various tests. Some of the imaging tests that might be used to diagnose this type of cancer include:
The first line treatment for small intestine cancer is surgery. The type of surgery used will depend on the location of the cancer.
One common type of surgery is anintestinal resection. During this surgery, a portion of the small intestine is removed and the two healthy ends of the intestine are rejoined.
TheWhipple procedureis a more complex surgery that involves removing the first section of the small intestine, the duodenum, the gallbladder, part of the pancreas, the common bile duct, and the surrounding lymph nodes. A portion of the stomach might also be removed.
Other treatments may be used in the case that surgery will not result in a good outcome, such as if the surgery has grown into other organs or the patient is frail. These treatments can includechemotherapy,radiation therapy, andimmunotherapy.
The prognosis for small bowel cancer depends greatly on thestage at which it is diagnosed. The five-year survival rates, which is how many people are alive five years after diagnosis, are estimated to be:
A Word From Verywell
A cancer diagnosis is difficult and comes with significant challenges. Small intestine cancer is not common, which can make decision making about treatments more challenging. It may be necessary to research treatments and possible outcomes and to get more than one opinion before moving forward.
This can be exhausting, so the support of friends and family is crucial. After a cancer diagnosis, people often offer to help with everything from running errands to coming along to doctor appointments.
Cancer treatment centers also may offersupport groupsas well as appointments with support professionals such as a therapist or a dietitian. Having the guidance of many different people, from friends and family to healthcare providers, is important in thejourney through treatment and recovery.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Small intestine cancer.National Cancer Institute.Small intestine cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors treatment (adult) (PDQ®)–patient version.American Cancer Society.Gastrointestinal stromal tumors.National Cancer Institute.Adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.Barsouk A, Rawla P, Barsouk A, Thandra KC.Epidemiology of cancers of the small intestine: trends, risk factors, and prevention.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7:46. doi:10.3390/medsci7030046Bennett CM, Coleman HG, Veal PG, Cantwell MM, Lau CC, Murray LJ.Lifestyle factors and small intestine adenocarcinoma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2015;39:265-273. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2015.02.001.Abou Saleh M, Mansoor E, Anindo M, Isenberg G.Prevalence of small intestine carcinoid tumors: A US population-based study 2012-2017.Dig Dis Sci. 2019;64:1328-1334. doi:10.1007/s10620-018-5402-z.Perimutter Cancer Center.Diagnosing Small Intestine Cancer. NYU Langone Hospitals.American Cancer Society.Treatment choices for small intestine cancer (adenocarcinoma), based on tumor spread.American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).Small bowel cancer: statistics.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Small intestine cancer.National Cancer Institute.Small intestine cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors treatment (adult) (PDQ®)–patient version.American Cancer Society.Gastrointestinal stromal tumors.National Cancer Institute.Adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.Barsouk A, Rawla P, Barsouk A, Thandra KC.Epidemiology of cancers of the small intestine: trends, risk factors, and prevention.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7:46. doi:10.3390/medsci7030046Bennett CM, Coleman HG, Veal PG, Cantwell MM, Lau CC, Murray LJ.Lifestyle factors and small intestine adenocarcinoma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2015;39:265-273. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2015.02.001.Abou Saleh M, Mansoor E, Anindo M, Isenberg G.Prevalence of small intestine carcinoid tumors: A US population-based study 2012-2017.Dig Dis Sci. 2019;64:1328-1334. doi:10.1007/s10620-018-5402-z.Perimutter Cancer Center.Diagnosing Small Intestine Cancer. NYU Langone Hospitals.American Cancer Society.Treatment choices for small intestine cancer (adenocarcinoma), based on tumor spread.American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).Small bowel cancer: statistics.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Small intestine cancer.National Cancer Institute.Small intestine cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors treatment (adult) (PDQ®)–patient version.American Cancer Society.Gastrointestinal stromal tumors.National Cancer Institute.Adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.Barsouk A, Rawla P, Barsouk A, Thandra KC.Epidemiology of cancers of the small intestine: trends, risk factors, and prevention.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7:46. doi:10.3390/medsci7030046Bennett CM, Coleman HG, Veal PG, Cantwell MM, Lau CC, Murray LJ.Lifestyle factors and small intestine adenocarcinoma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2015;39:265-273. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2015.02.001.Abou Saleh M, Mansoor E, Anindo M, Isenberg G.Prevalence of small intestine carcinoid tumors: A US population-based study 2012-2017.Dig Dis Sci. 2019;64:1328-1334. doi:10.1007/s10620-018-5402-z.Perimutter Cancer Center.Diagnosing Small Intestine Cancer. NYU Langone Hospitals.American Cancer Society.Treatment choices for small intestine cancer (adenocarcinoma), based on tumor spread.American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).Small bowel cancer: statistics.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: Small intestine cancer.
National Cancer Institute.Small intestine cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.
National Cancer Institute.Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors treatment (adult) (PDQ®)–patient version.
American Cancer Society.Gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
National Cancer Institute.Adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment (PDQ®)–patient version.
Barsouk A, Rawla P, Barsouk A, Thandra KC.Epidemiology of cancers of the small intestine: trends, risk factors, and prevention.Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7:46. doi:10.3390/medsci7030046
Bennett CM, Coleman HG, Veal PG, Cantwell MM, Lau CC, Murray LJ.Lifestyle factors and small intestine adenocarcinoma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Cancer Epidemiol. 2015;39:265-273. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2015.02.001.
Abou Saleh M, Mansoor E, Anindo M, Isenberg G.Prevalence of small intestine carcinoid tumors: A US population-based study 2012-2017.Dig Dis Sci. 2019;64:1328-1334. doi:10.1007/s10620-018-5402-z.
Perimutter Cancer Center.Diagnosing Small Intestine Cancer. NYU Langone Hospitals.
American Cancer Society.Treatment choices for small intestine cancer (adenocarcinoma), based on tumor spread.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).Small bowel cancer: statistics.
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