Small intestine cancer other imaging findings

Overview
In oncology, small intestine cancer, also small bowel cancer and cancer of the small bowel, is a cancer of the small intestine. It is relatively rare compared to other gastrointestinal malignancies such as gastric cancer (stomach cancer) and colorectal cancer.

How to know you have small intestine cancer?
It is hard to diagnose small intestine cancer in its early stages. Other problems can also cause the same symptoms such as stomach discomfort and other digestive system cancer. So, if you have those symptoms, you had better go to see your doctor to do some tests. They include lab tests, image tests and endoscopy.


 * Capsule endoscopy: In this procedure, the patient is not detected with an actual endoscope but with a capsule (about the size of a large vitamin pill) which contains a light source and a very small camera. After swallowed, the capsule goes through the small intestine for a period of 8 hours. It takes thousands of pictures which can be downloaded onto a computer for the doctor to analyze.
 * Double balloon enteroscopy and biopsy: This is a newer way of looking at the small intestine. At first the patient need to anesthesia. This technology makes the doctor to see the intestine a foot at a time and even take a biopsy if something abnormal.
 * Barium x-rays: This is an x-ray test that a person is given a medication that will temporarily slow bowel movement, so structures can be more easily seen on the x-rays. For this test, the patient drinks a millkshake-like substance called barium. X-ray method called fluroscopy tracks how the barium moves through your esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. Pictures are taken in a variety of positions. It includes upper GI series, enteroclysis and a barium enema.