Treatment

Treatment for small bowel cancer depends on the type of cancer you have and its stage. Options might include:

• Surgery. Surgeons work to remove all of the small bowel cancer, when possible. If cancer affects a small portion of the small intestine, surgeons may remove only that section and rejoin the cut ends of the intestine. In some cases, all of the small intestine may need to be removed.

  If a small bowel cancer can't be removed, surgeons might perform a bypass to relieve a blockage in the small intestine.

• Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy usually involves a combination of medications that kill fast-growing cells, including cancer cells. It's typically given through a vein in your arm, but can also be in pill form.

  For small bowel cancer, chemotherapy might be recommended after surgery if there's a risk that the cancer could return. For advanced cancer, chemotherapy might help relieve signs and symptoms.

• Targeted drug therapy. Targeted drug treatments focus on specific weaknesses present within cancer cells. By blocking these weaknesses, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Targeted drugs might be used for certain types of small bowel cancer, including gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and lymphoma.
• Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is a drug treatment that helps your immune system to fight cancer. Your body's immune system might not attack cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that blind the immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process. Immunotherapy might be an option for advanced small bowel cancer if testing shows the cancer cells may respond to this type of treatment.