This cancer starts in the small bowel which makes up most of the digestive system and helps the body to digest food and take in vitamins.
The symptoms of small bowel cancer can be vague and other conditions could have similar symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms include tummy pain or lump, weight loss, feeling or becoming sick, diarrhoea, tiredness, dark black stool due to bleeding in the small bowel, blockage in the bowel, and a low number of red blood cells (anaemia) due to bleeding. It’s important to see your doctor if you have any of these symptoms to arrange for the required tests.
Treatment will depend on many factors that include where the cancer is, how big it is and whether it has spread (the stage), type of cancer, general health and level of fitness. Treatment includes surgery to remove the cancer along with clear border if the cancer hasn’t spread to other parts of the body, or in emergency situations where the cancer has blocked the bowel. Treatment also includes chemotherapy either after surgery to reduce the risk of cancer coming back, or to reduce or control symptoms in advanced cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.