Chronic Constipation
Chronic constipation is a common disorder that affects approximately 20% of the population and significantly impacts an individual’s quality of life. The diagnosis can be made using standard criteria, and…
Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Female Patients
Irritable bowel syndrome is probably the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder and is characterized by abdominal pain along with altered bowel function. It is a disorder of female predominance. This…
Women’s Gastrointestinal Health in 2016: An Introduction to an Expanding Field in Gastroenterology
Laurel R. Fisher, MD, Editor Several years ago, the Gastroenterology Clinics of North America released a publication devoted to Women’s Issues, reflecting an early awareness of potential differences in women’s…
The Role of the Microbiome in Gastrointestinal Cancer
Humans are host to complex microbial communities previously termed normal flora and largely overlooked. However, resident microbes contribute to both health and disease. Investigators are beginning to define microbes that…
Molecular Detection of Gastrointestinal Neoplasia
Emerging molecular tools promise to extend the diagnostic reach of the endoscopist and open doors to population screening for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. This review briefly addresses biological considerations in marker…
Heritable Gastrointestinal Cancer Syndromes
Although almost all gastrointestinal cancers develop from sporadic genomic events, approximately 5% arise from germline mutations in genes associated with cancer predisposition. The number of these genes continues to increase….
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Neuroendocrine tumors are increasingly diagnosed, either incidentally as part of screening processes, or for symptoms, which have commonly been mistaken for other disorders initially. The diagnostic workup to characterize tumor…
Knowns and Known Unknowns of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Adjuvant Therapy
The first 15 years of management of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) have led to 3 lines of therapy for metastatic disease: imatinib, sunitinib, and regorafenib. In the adjuvant setting, imatinib is…
Colorectal Cancer
Cancer is fundamentally a genetic disease caused by mutational or epigenetic alterations in DNA. There has been a remarkable expansion of the molecular understanding of colonic carcinogenesis in the last…
Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma
Small bowel adenocarcinomas (SBAs) are rare tumors, but their incidence is increasing. The most common primary location is the duodenum. Even though SBAs are more often sporadic, some diseases are…
