As one of the top gastrointestinal (GI) cancer programs in the country, Penn Medicine offers surgical expertise in treating rare small intestine cancers. A team of leading experts in GI cancers collaborates to personalize your treatment. Our surgeons' experience improves outcomes and offers more choices for advanced and complicated cases.
Small Intestine Cancer Surgery: Why Choose Penn Medicine?
Small intestine (or small bowel) cancer is rare. Most small intestine cancers occur in the duodenum (the first part of the small bowel that attaches to the stomach). Penn's GI surgeons successfully remove a high volume of small intestine cancers compared to other centers in the region — with consistently excellent results.
You also benefit from our program's:
- Expertise treating complex cases: Surgery to treat small intestine cancer often involves multiple organs and intricate structures, such as bile ducts and blood vessels. At Penn, you're in the hands of national leaders in hepatobiliary (liver, pancreas and bile duct) surgery. Our uncommon experience performing these difficult operations improves outcomes for all types and stages of small intestine cancer cases. Meet our GI surgery team.
- Minimally invasive techniques: Our surgeons stay up-to-date on the latest surgical advances, including minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopic surgery. We appropriately choose the least invasive approach that matches your needs. A less invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic small bowel resection, may help you recover faster and with less pain.
- Convenient, comprehensive cancer care: The most effective cancer care takes a team effort. We schedule appointments so you can meet with multiple doctors (surgeons, medical oncologists and other specialists) on the same day, whenever possible, to save you time and energy.
- Multidisciplinary collaboration: Highly trained doctors who specialize in all areas of GI cancer care meet regularly to weigh in on individual cases. Surgeons with focused practice performing different types of procedures pool their expertise to determine the best options for your needs.
- Additional options for advanced cancers: Penn's vast resources give you access to today's leading cancer treatments. We are one of few centers in the country to treat some advanced GI cancers using proton therapy. Our robust research program strives to offer clinical trial options for people with all types of small intestine cancer, including metastatic duodenal cancer.
- Support wherever and whenever you need it: Our specially trained GI oncology nurse navigators explain the treatment process and what's ahead. We guide you to resources, such as nutrition counseling and our Palliative Care Program, to help you make the best of every day.
Our easy-to-use patient portal, available through MyChart by myPennMedicine, is another way to reach your care team directly with questions, before or after surgery. Learn more about what to expect in our patient guide to GI surgery.
Our Approach to Small Intestine Cancer Treatment
Not all small intestine cancers act similarly. At Penn, expert care starts with a precise diagnosis. We use advanced genetic and molecular tests to learn as much as we can about a cancer when deciding which treatment approach is right for you.
A team of doctors (specialists in different areas of GI cancer care) comes together at meetings called GI tumor boards. We review your case and discuss your treatment options. Your care team may recommend surgery, chemotherapy (cancer drugs) and radiation therapy.
Read more about small intestine cancer treatment.
Our surgeons carefully plan each surgery to ensure your safety and maximize results. Many factors can affect whether you are a candidate for surgery and which surgery you need. These factors include:
- Type of small intestine cancer
- Location of cancer (area of the small intestine affected by cancer)
- Cancer stage (including where cancer has spread)
- Your overall health
- Symptoms caused by a tumor
- Timing of other treatments (such as chemotherapy)
Small Bowel Resection (Small Intestine Removal Surgery)
Small bowel resection (also called small intestine removal surgery) is the most common surgical treatment for small intestine cancer. For some early-stage cancers (cancer confined to the small bowel), this surgery alone may cure the disease.
During small bowel resection, a surgeon removes the part of the small intestine that contains cancer cells. The surgeon then connects the two healthy ends of intestine tissue together to enable normal digestion. A surgeon may also remove nearby lymph nodes to check for cancer spread.
Surgeries Performed with Small Bowel Resection
In some cases, small intestine cancer spreads to nearby organs. This is called metastatic cancer. If that happens, your surgeon may need to remove additional organs (such as your gallbladder or bile duct) or parts of an organ (the pancreas or liver).
Read about our approach to:
Expertise in Duodenal Cancer and GIST Tumor Surgeries
Surgeries to remove small intestine cancers are often technically complex, requiring specialized skill and training. Penn's team includes nationally and internationally respected surgeons with extensive experience treating rare and complex cases of small intestine cancer.
We are known for safely removing hard-to-treat duodenal cancers (affecting the top part of the small intestine) and rare gastrointestinal stromal tumors that other institutions consider inoperable.
We perform ultra-high volumes of the Whipple procedure, with outstanding outcomes and low rates of complications. This highly sophisticated surgery for duodenal tumors involves removing part of the small intestine and multiple other organs, including part of the pancreas.
Palliative Surgery
Not all small intestine tumors can be safely removed through surgery. In cases where a small intestine tumor causes pain or other uncomfortable symptoms, palliative surgery may help.
During a surgical bypass procedure, a surgeon makes a new route for food to pass through the small intestine (leaving the tumor where it is). This surgery may relieve or possibly prevent problems caused by a blockage in the intestine.
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