SERVICES
Gastrointestinal & Colorectal Cancer Surgery
Colorectal cancer forms in the colon or rectal tissues and affects the digestive system. Rectal cancer begins in the bowel lining (mucosa), and as the disease advances, it infiltrates the rectal wall and metastasises. As cancer spreads, it moves into the rectal lining’s blood vessels and lymph nodes.
Stomach cancer grows slowly, often appearing asymptomatic in its early stages.
Symptoms of gastrointestinal and colorectal cancer
- Chronic bloating
- Traces of blood in the stool
- Trouble swallowing
- Nausea/vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Anaemia (low red blood cell count)
- Yellowing of the skin and eyeballs (jaundice) when cancer moves into the liver
Gastrointestinal cancer may arise from a secondary condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease. Acid reflux happens when the stomach contents move back into the oesophagus, causing the cellular lining to change. This condition is what we call Barrett’s oesophagus, which is one of the leading causes of oesophageal cancer.
Colorectal cancer starts as a growth (polyp) that develops within the colon or rectal wall’s lining. Not all polyps are dangerous; some are benign, while adenomatous polyps are classified as precancerous. On the other hand, Sessile serrated polyps pose a higher risk of turning into rectal or colon cancer.
Surgery has to commence for the following reasons:
- The colon polyp is larger than a centimetre
- Several (more than three) colon polyps have been found
- Dysplasia, a condition that causes an area in the colon or rectal lining to appear abnormal even when no cancer is found, is evident.
A gastroscopy is a diagnostic procedure that entails the use of a light-sourced instrument (endoscope) to examine the small intestine entrance, also known as the duodenum. A gastroscopy is a method to screen for stomach cancer, particularly in patients who are at risk of this disease.
A colonoscopy is a screening method for colon cancer through the use of the same bendable tube (endoscope) used in a gastroscopy. During this procedure, surgeons remove precancerous lesions, large colon polyps and take tissue samples for biopsy.
For advanced colon cancer, some or the entire colon is resected. Lymph nodes are also removed as this is where cancer spreads throughout the body quickly. If there are still sections of the colon leftover, surgeons reattach these regions. In the case of a total colectomy, the entire colon is removed. This type of surgery is rare and only a surgical necessity when there are numerous (hundreds) of polyps along the colon lining.
Cancer is a disease that can obstruct the colon and affect the passage of stool. Should this be the case, the surgeon performs a colonoscopy and inserts an expandable stent to dilate the colon. Alternatively, the upper part of the colon is joined to the stoma, which is an opening in the abdomen where stool exits. A colostomy is a short-term procedure whereby an external bag attaches to the skin for stool to drain into. There may be a need for chemotherapy to eradicate cancer cells.