Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers
GI Cancer Care at UVM Cancer Center
Cancer can affect any part of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, rectum and anus.
At University of Vermont Cancer Center, you’ll receive compassionate care from skilled experts specializing in GI cancer, including rare and complex cases. Our physicians take a coordinated, team-based approach to GI cancer care and work together to develop a personalized treatment plan for you. We offer sophisticated therapies in a supportive, caring environment.
Why Choose UVM Health?
With cancer services available in treatment centers across the region, you can access advanced GI cancer care no matter where you live in Vermont or northern New York.
As a leading cancer program in the region, we offer:
- A team approach: Our team includes surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and gastroenterologists, all of whom specialize in GI cancer. These specialists work together to plan every step of your treatment, always keeping your preferences in mind.
- Innovation: As part of a health system anchored by an academic medical center, our physician-leaders are active researchers, many of whom train the next generation of experts. Our researchers are currently exploring methods that produce excellent outcomes with gentler GI cancer treatments.
- Expertise: Our experience with uncommon GI cancers helps us make an accurate diagnosis and deliver effective care. Our GI specialists are skilled in treating rare and complex conditions such as anal cancer, cancer of the abdomen lining (peritoneum) and GI neuroendocrine tumors, which affect cells that release certain hormones and can develop anywhere in the body.
- Convenience: Out of respect for your time, we coordinate appointments whenever possible, so you can see multiple experts on one day.
Types of Gastrointestinal Cancer
Upper GI cancers and tumors we treat include:
- Esophagus
- Gastro-esophageal junction (the area where the esophagus ends and the stomach begins)
- Stomach
- Small intestine (small bowel)
- Pancreas
- Bile duct
- Liver
- Peritoneum
- Neuroendocrine tumors
Diagnosing Gastrointestinal Cancer
When you come to UVM Cancer Center for care, you have access to a broad range of GI cancer tests, some of which are not widely available elsewhere in the region. If your provider suspects you have GI cancer, they will order a range of diagnostic tests, which may include:
- Endoscopy: This procedure uses a long, thin tube with a camera and light at the tip (endoscope) to examine tissue in the upper or lower GI tract.
- Biopsy: During an endoscopy, we may take a tissue sample. A GI pathologist (specialist in diagnosing GI disease) evaluates it to confirm the presence of cancer cells and identify the cancer type.
- Imaging studies: Tests such as ultrasound, MRI, CT and PET scans help us detect the size and location of tumors and determine whether they have spread to other locations of the body.
- Family genetic testing: Your doctor may recommend genetic testing if you have a family history of some types of GI cancer. Our compassionate genetic counselors can find out if cancer-causing genes run in your family and help you understand your risk.
Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment
At UVM Cancer Center, you receive a personalized care plan that may include multiple treatment strategies, depending on the type of GI cancer. Throughout your cancer journey, our nurse navigators are by your side to coordinate appointments, answer questions and guide your care.
We use endoscopic approaches to safely access and treat GI cancers in hard-to-reach areas like the pancreas. Offerings include endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound with biopsy, which requires the skills of a specially trained gastroenterologist. During ERCP, we use an endoscope to remove cancerous growths.
Surgical oncologists and colon and rectal surgeons use the latest research-based methods to remove cancers while protecting nearby tissue. Some surgeries can be performed with minimally invasive techniques that are associated with faster recovery time. Our team includes surgeons who deliver hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which applies heated chemotherapy drugs directly inside the abdomen after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Medical oncology uses medications to destroy cancer cells. Your care team includes medical oncologists who are skilled in the latest oncology therapies for GI cancer. Care may include chemotherapy or innovative options such as immunotherapy, which helps the immune system recognize and destroy cancer. We participate in national research studies exploring which patients might benefit most from these treatments and which drugs work best.
Trusted experts deliver radiation therapy using leading-edge technologies with the highest level of precision. UVM Cancer Center is also pursuing research to advance radiation therapy for GI cancers. We are among a select few cancer centers nationwide exploring whether short-course radiation and chemotherapy can help some patients avoid surgery.
Radiologists with advanced training use real-time imaging and tiny tubes (catheters) threaded through blood vessels to deliver sophisticated liver cancer treatments. Care may include chemoembolization, which involves injecting chemotherapy drugs into blood vessels supplying the tumor.
For cancers of the stomach, we offer a minimally invasive procedure to determine whether cancer has spread to the abdominal lining. This is the only reliable method of confirming a peritoneal cancer diagnosis.
We offer advanced therapies, such as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which delivers cancer-fighting drugs directly to the peritoneal surface.
Clinical trials are a routine part of care team discussions. Participation in a clinical trial is voluntary and can give you access to new care methods years before they are widely available. If you are eligible for a specific trial, your provider will explain the benefits and risks of participating and the next steps for enrollment.
Clinical Trials
The UVM Cancer Center supports more than 100 active clinical trials focused on prevention, screening, treatment, supportive care and survivorship.
Locations Near You
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133 Park Street
Second Floor
Malone, NY 12953-1244
111 Colchester Avenue
Main Campus, East Pavilion, Level 3
Burlington, VT 05401-1473
75 Park Street
Elizabethtown, NY 12932
101 Adirondack Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
111 Colchester Avenue
Main Campus, Main Pavillion, Level 2
Burlington, VT 05401
75 Beekman Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901-1438
23 Fourth Street
Suite 1
Malone, NY 12953-1331
111 Colchester Avenue
Main Campus, Main Pavilion, Level 2
Burlington, VT 05401-1473
130 Fisher Road
Berlin, VT 05602-8132
23 Fourth Street
Suite 1 & 2
Malone, NY 12953-1331
