Digestive Cancer Knowledge Centre

Liver cancer is a malignant tumour arising in the liver, often on a background of cirrhosis or hepatitis. When caught early it can be treated with surgical resection or transplantation, offering the best chance of cure.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive tumour of the pancreas that often causes few early symptoms. Early-stage disease may be cured with major surgery such as the Whipple operation, combined with chemotherapy — making prompt, specialist assessment vital.

Gallbladder cancer is an uncommon but serious tumour, sometimes discovered unexpectedly after routine gallstone surgery. Early-stage disease is treated with an extended (radical) surgical removal, which offers the best chance of cure.

Stomach cancer arises in the lining of the stomach and often causes vague early symptoms such as indigestion and reduced appetite. Curative treatment is surgical removal (gastrectomy) with lymph-node clearance, frequently combined with chemotherapy.

Colon cancer develops in the large intestine, most often from polyps that grow slowly over years and can be removed during colonoscopy before they turn cancerous. Caught early, surgery offers a high chance of cure — which is why screening saves lives.

Rectal cancer affects the last part of the large bowel. Thanks to modern sphincter-preserving surgery, often combined with chemo-radiotherapy, most patients can be cured while keeping normal bowel function and avoiding a permanent stoma.

Neuro-endocrine tumours (NETs) are usually slow-growing tumours arising from hormone-producing cells in the digestive tract and pancreas. Many are curable with specialised surgery, and even advanced NETs can often be controlled for years.

GISTs are rare tumours that grow in the wall of the digestive tract, most often the stomach. They are treated by precise surgical removal — frequently by laparoscopic surgery — and, when needed, highly effective targeted (oral) therapy.