Gastrointestinal cancer (cancer of the digestive system) includes cancers of the esophagus, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon) and rectum.
At its heart, cancer is the result of uncontrolled cell growth. Our bodies are composed of trillions of cells, all working together. In cancer, one of those cells stops paying attention to the normal signals that tell cells to grow, stop growing or even to die. Cancer cells still share many of the same needs and properties of normal cells but they become independent of the controls that make our body function smoothly. Adenocarcinoma normally begins in the mucus-producing glands in our body. The process by which normal cell changes into one that behaves so abnormally can take a long time and is often triggered by outside influences. The next few sections describe the differences between normal and cancer cells and outline the steps leading to the creation of a cancer cell from a normal cell.
Cancer is a general term that describes a large group of related diseases. Every case of cancer is unique, be it liver, stomach or gallbladder cancer, with its own set of genetic changes and growth properties. Some cancers grow quickly while others can take years to become dangerous to the patient. The many differences between cases of cancer, even of the same organ is one of the main reasons that treatment is so difficult.
Despite the differences between different types of cancer, all cancers including esophagus and pancreas cancer DO share some common features and these shared properties are the basis for many cancer treatments and research efforts. It is important to understand the basic and shared features of cancer. This will allow for an understanding of detection, diagnosis and treatment options.
Numerous changes must occur for a normal cell to become a cancer cell. Additional changes are needed for that single cell to form a tumor and then for that tumor to grow and spread. The presence of a carcinoid tumour in the body may also be possible.