Gastrointestinal cancer

GI cancers affect the gastrointestinal tract and other organs within the digestive system. Our skilled GI specialists are experts at detecting cancer in this region of the body, even in its earliest stages. If cancer is detected, our GI oncology specialists guide patients from diagnosis to recovery, offering advanced treatments, such as tumor treatment and removal, and cancer wellness and support along the way.

At HCA Midwest Health, our cancer programs are overseen by panels of physicians who are experts in various medical specialties. These multispecialty steering committees develop cancer-specific centers of excellence across our health system. This ensures patients receive the highest quality care and the best patient experience possible.

One of the essential groups on our team is our GI patient navigators. These oncology-trained nurses walk each patient through their cancer journey, offering access to national clinical research trials and cutting-edge therapies right here in our local communities.

Our cancer specialists also take part in dedicated interdisciplinary complex GI oncology cancer conferences. Through conferences, oncologists meet, discuss and collaborate on patient cases to determine the best care plan and quickest treatment time.

Patients trust the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at HCA Midwest Health because we provide:

• A multispecialty expert team of physicians
• Access to early-phase clinical research trials and cutting-edge therapies
• Guidance and support from highly trained and compassionate GI patient navigators
• One of the most comprehensive genetic counseling programs in the region offering genetic risk assessment and counseling to patients who have concerns about their personal and/or family history of GI cancer
• Personalized medicine through molecular profiling to tailor treatment options based on the genetic profile of the patient's cancer
• The Liver and Pancreas Institute at Research Medical Center, which focuses on diseases of the liver, pancreas and biliary tract
• Dedicated interdisciplinary complex GI oncology cancer conferences provide a forum where our specialists from radiation oncology, medical oncology, hepatology, surgery, pathology, and others, all meet to discuss and collaborate on patient cases to determine the best plan of care and quickest time to treatment

Through our GI program, our doctors use imaging exams and diagnostic procedures to detect and diagnose GI disorders, including GI cancer.

Some of the diagnostic procedures offered through our GI program include:

• Barium enema—An exam involving an X-ray and the injection of a liquid into the rectum through a small tube to detect changes or abnormalities in the colon.
• Biopsy—A procedure involving the extraction of tissues for further examination to detect disease.
• Blood test—A procedure involving the extraction of blood to aid in the diagnosis of disease.
• Colonoscopy—A procedure that allows a physician to view the inside of the colon and rectum to screen for the source of abdominal pain, bleeding and changes in bowel habits.
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan—An imaging exam that combines several X-rays into a 3D computer model of a patient's bones, tissues and organs.
• Digital rectal exam—An examination of a patient's rectum, pelvis and lower belly.
• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)—A minimally invasive procedure in which ultrasound and endoscopy are combined so that a physician can examine the chest, abdomen and colon.
• Fecal immunochemical test (FIT)—A stool culture test used to detect hidden blood in the stool from the lower intestines.
• Fecal occult blood test—A lab test used to look for hidden blood in the stool from the upper and lower GI tract.
• Lower GI endoscopy—An exam that involves a thin, flexible tube to view the lower GI tract, small intestines, large intestines, rectum and anus.
• Stool DNA test—A lab test used to look for DNA changes in cells and blood in the stool.
• Upper GI endoscopy—A test that involves a thin, flexible tube to examine the esophagus, stomach and first part of the small intestine.
• Upper GI series—An X-ray of the upper digestive tract to find ulcers, tumors and certain diseases.
• Virtual colonoscopy—A minimally invasive alternative to the traditional colonoscopy that involves CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to view the colon.

We offer a range of surgical and nonsurgical GI cancer treatments. We also offer cancer rehabilitation to help ease the emotional and physical side effects of cancer and cancer treatment.

Our surgical oncologists have specialized knowledge and the ability to precisely locate and remove tumors surgically or treat them using radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

If surgery is recommended, our surgical oncologists remove cancerous tissue using traditional surgical methods, endoscopy and robotic surgery. Robotic surgery allows our surgeons to operate in the hard-to-reach regions of the digestive system with extreme precision and only a few small incisions.