Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment
Cancers of the digestive system include that of the colon, rectum, pancreas, liver, as well as less commonly, biliary ducts, small intestines and appendix. These cancers can manifest in many ways depending on the location. For instance, pancreatic cancers may cause blockage of the biliary ducts and lead to jaundice, itchiness, floating stools, and malabsorption. Many colon and rectal tumors are found routinely on screening colonoscopies. Other symptoms may include weight loss, bloating, abdominal or back pain, enlarging abdomen, intestinal obstruction and / or bleeding.
Surgery is the primary therapy for many of these conditions, and radiation and chemotherapy have important roles before or after surgery. At Jefferson we pride ourselves on strong interdisciplinary cooperation between radiation oncologists, surgeons, interventional radiologists, and medical oncologists.
Physicians have at their disposal conformal external beam radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) as well as stereotactic radiotherapy. Our resources include technologies such as image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) with conebeam CT, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), Active Breathing Coordinator (ABC) and 4-D CT.
Most importantly, our physicians are renowned national leaders in the treatment of cancers of the digestive tract, and attract patients from across the country. We have the experience and high treatment volume to deliver the most optimal care to our patients.
Furthermore Jefferson has an active clinical trials program. When appropriate, patients are given the opportunity to participate in research studies that integrate new drugs and treatment approaches to continue to improve our success in treating brain tumors.