Intestinal Cancer
What
is Cancer of the Small Intestine?
The small intestine is a long tube that
folds many times to fit inside the abdomen. It connects the
stomach to the large intestine (the bowel), and breaks down food to remove
vitamins, minerals,
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Cancer occurs as the result of abnormal
cell growth within the
small intestine. There are four types of cancer of the small intestine,
depending upon the type of
cancer cells found.
Types of Cancers in the Small Intestines:
Adenocarcinoma: Most common type; begins in the lining of the small
intestine, usually near the
stomach.
Lymphoma: Usually non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; begins in the lymph tissue in
the small intestine.
Leiomyoarcoma: Start growing in the smooth muscle lining of the small
intestine.
Intestinal
cancer: Cancers
affecting the digestive tract, including oral, esophageal, stomach, and
intestinal tumors,
are among the most common of all the cancers associated with aging.
Genetic propensity to
experience certain cancers has been noted: familial history of the disease
has been deemed a risk
factor and at least one gene has been identified as being associated with
the development of
colon cancer. Direct causative factors have also been identified: mainly
the substances that are
ingested. High fat and low fiber diets have been implicated in intestinal
cancers: byproducts from
metabolism of fats that reach the intestines may be the culprit. The slow
transit rate of low-fiber
fecal material encourages prolonged exposure of the intestinal cells to
the fermenting components.
Oral and esophageal cancers have been associated with use of tobacco
products as well as
certain herbal materials taken as teas.
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