Also called: Duodenal cancer · Ileal cancer · Jejunal cancer · Small intestine cancer
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Intestinal Cancer
Your small intestine is part of your digestive system. It is a long tube that connects your stomach to your large intestine. Intestinal cancer is rare, but eating a high-fat diet or having Crohn's disease, celiac disease, or a history of colonic polyps can increase your risk.
Possible signs of small intestine cancer include:
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss for no reason
- Blood in the stool
- A lump in the abdomen
Imaging tests that create pictures of the small intestine and the area around it can help diagnose intestinal cancer and show whether it has spread.
Surgery is the most common treatment. Additional options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination.
It sits within Cancers and Digestive System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Cancer Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Intestinal Cancer
10,334 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Targeted Therapy Directed by Genetic Testing in Treating Patients With Advanced Refractory Solid Tumors, Lymphomas, or Multiple Myeloma (The MATCH Screening Trial)National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Atezolizumab in Treating Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer and Deficient DNA Mismatch RepairNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- To Explore a Single-arm Phase II Study on Intestinal Microbiota Transplantation Combined With Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy and Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Under MSS/pMMRTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital
- RECTIFY-1: Neoadjuvant Botensilimab + Balstilimab in MSS/pMMR Early Rectal CancerDana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Impact of Probiotics on Neuropathy Induced by Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Colon Cancer.Centre Francois Baclesse
- Social Health, Activity Behaviors, and Quality of Life Among Young Adult Cancer SurvivorsUniversity of Southern California
Research already completed
- Tumor-Derived FGF19University of Central Florida
- Intestinal Low Dose Radiotherapy Combined With Immunotherapy in Immune-resistant Metastatic Solid TumorsChuangzhen Chen
- Learning Curve of SILS in CRCRuijin Hospital
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST)American Cancer Society
- General Information about Small Intestine CancerNational Cancer Institute
Diagnosis and Tests
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Stages and Other Prognostic FactorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Small Intestine Cancer (Adenocarcinoma) StagesAmerican Cancer Society
- Small Intestine Cancer Early Detection, Diagnosis, and StagingAmerican Cancer Society
- Stages of Small Intestine CancerNational Cancer Institute
- Tests for Gastrointestinal Stromal TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Upper GI EndoscopyNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Upper GI SeriesNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Treatments and Therapies
- Drugs Approved for Gastrointestinal Stromal TumorsNational Cancer Institute
- Small bowel resection - seriesMedical Encyclopedia
- Small Intestine Cancer TreatmentNational Cancer Institute
- Treating Small Intestine Cancer (Adenocarcinoma)American Cancer Society
- Treatment Option Overview (Small Intestine Cancer)National Cancer Institute
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention of Gastrointestinal Stromal TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
- Small Intestine Cancer Causes, Risk Factors, and PreventionAmerican Cancer Society
Living With
- After Small Intestine Cancer TreatmentAmerican Cancer Society
- After Treatment for Gastrointestinal Stromal TumorsAmerican Cancer Society
Genetics
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumor: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Statistics and Research
- Cancer Stat Facts: Small Intestine CancerNational Cancer Institute
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Duodenal NeoplasmsNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastrointestinal Stromal TumorsNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Ileal Neoplasms, Jejunal Neoplasms, Duodenal Neoplasms. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Intestinal Cancer, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.