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Combining several treatments increases the chance of a cure and reduces recurrence of digestive cancer.

   

Dr Alain Hendlisz,
Coordinator of the Digestive CMO, Institut Jules Bordet.

How we treat digestive tract cancers

All the digestive organs can be affected by cancer: the oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and bile ducts, the small intestine, large intestine (colon) … even the anal margin. Management of these tumours is always multidisciplinary. 

To confirm and refine diagnosis, the patient undergoes various examinations:

  • an endoscopy depending on the organ concerned (for example, gastroscopy or colonoscopy);
  • sample removal (biopsy) of the suspect tissue, then laboratory analysis of the sample taken;
  • medical imaging examinations (radiography, CT scan, PET scan, MRI, etc) are carried out to discover the extent of the tumour and identify any possible metastases.