Gastroenterology is a medical area of expertise that focuses on illnesses of the digestive system. Gastroenterologists are qualified in treating and diagnosing numerous diseases, as well as cancers of the liver, pancreas, anus, oesophagus, stomach, rectum, and colon. Several numbers of diagnostic tests may be performed to identify stage stomach cancers, for instance, a colonoscopy, barium enema, ultrasound or endoscopy. The kind of diagnostic test and treatment patients get are dependent on the specifics of every individual’s case.

After a gastric cancer is diagnosed, some of the processes that might be performed by the gastroenterologists include:

• Jejunostomy tube (J-tube):

  Here the feeding tube is inserted via the abdomen into the second part of the small intestine, referred to as the jejunum. Patients who get a feeding tube might be having trouble digesting food or may breathe in food into their lungs.

• ERCP or Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography:

  This process is used to see the bile ducts in the pancreas. Your doctor might use ERCP to get rid of samples for biopsy, alleviate obstruction of the bile duct or place a stent into a tapering duct to keep it open.

• EGD or Esophagogastroduodenoscopy:

  Also known as an upper endoscopy, this process is used both to diagnose and treat conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The doctor checks the lining of the stomach, oesophagus, and starting of the small intestine using real-time images from a camera attached to a flexible, thin tube called an endoscope. An EGD might be used to treat cancer of the small intestine, stomach, and oesophagus.

• Fiducial Markers:

  Fiducial markers are placed within a tumor prior to radiation therapy. Using these markers permits for more accurate targeting of tumors and assists lessen damage to healthy tissue.

• Needle-based ablation:

  This is a localized cancer treatment that makes use of microwaves or high-energy radio waves to warm up and wipe out cancerous cells. Using a CT scan for leadership, a thin probe is provisionally inserted into a tumor via a small incision in the skin. The probe destroys cancer cells and releases heat. This process may be used to treat tumors when surgery is not a choice or to relieve other symptoms related to cancer treatment.

• Nd: YAG laser:

  This laser destroys or shrinks tumors and assists relieve symptoms in hard-to-reach areas of the body, for instance, the colon, oesophagus or lungs. A high-power laser beam vaporizes or burns the tumor. Cancer has vanished, and the vapor is suctioned out via a bronchoscope or an endoscope. It is also used to treat large, disruptive masses that cause symptoms for instance obstruction or bleeding but cannot be detached surgically. For instance, the laser might be used to remove an obstacle in the oesophageal tract to ease swallowing difficulties. Or in the airways to enhance breathing.

These are some of the most common gastroenterology procedures for cancer patients. For more information about the same, it is always better to consult with an oncologist.