Gastrointestinal oncology

Our work covers every part of the digestive system where cancer can start. Our cancer teams in Dubai and Abu Dhabi handle both the surgery and the medicines. A tumour board agrees every new diagnosis before treatment starts, so you're not relying on one doctor's opinion.

What is gastrointestinal oncology?

Gastrointestinal oncology is the care of cancer that starts anywhere in the digestive system, from the oesophagus at the top to the anus at the end. The liver and pancreas belong here as well. The work runs from confirming the diagnosis, through the treatment itself, to the check-ups that follow once treatment ends. Gastroenterologists look after the same organs when the problem is not cancer, and they're often the ones who find a cancer in the first place.

When should you see a doctor?

Book an appointment if you notice:

• A change in your normal bowel habit that lasts three weeks or more
• Blood in your poo, or bleeding from your bottom
• Difficulty swallowing
• Heartburn or indigestion that keeps coming back
• Losing weight without trying
• Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes

Bleeding from your bottom that does not stop, or bleeding that is heavy, is an emergency: call for emergency help.

These symptoms usually turn out to be something other than cancer, but they're still worth checking. You don't have to wait for symptoms: bowel cancer is the second most common cancer in the UAE, and the most common in men. It usually begins as a polyp that a doctor can remove long before it becomes cancer. So we offer screening, by stool sample or colonoscopy, and your doctor will say when yours should start, earlier if it runs in your family.

What to expect

You'll start with questions about your symptoms, your health and whether bowel cancer runs in your family. If the trouble is in your bowel, the doctor will examine your back passage with a gloved finger, which takes under a minute. Most people then have a camera test under sedation. A colonoscopy looks at the bowel; a gastroscopy looks at the upper gut.

The tissue sample the doctor takes during the test is what confirms the diagnosis. A CT scan then shows whether the cancer has spread. Some early cancers come out during that test itself; others need an operation, with chemotherapy or radiotherapy before or after it. Your specialist will talk you through the options and agree the next step with you.

Gastrointestinal oncology at Mediclinic

We look for these cancers at endoscopy, and our gastroenterology teams run those tests. Our gastrointestinal cancer unit is at Mediclinic Parkview Hospital in Dubai. We also have a cancer centre at Mediclinic City Hospital. In Abu Dhabi, we treat these cancers at Mediclinic Airport Road Hospital.

Our medical oncologists give chemotherapy, targeted medicines and immunotherapy. That doesn't always mean a hospital stay: much of it runs as an outpatient visit. Where an operation is the right move, we can operate on the gut, and on the liver and pancreas as well. Our nutrition and physiotherapy teams work with people through treatment and recovery.