Gastrointestinal Cancer Evaluation and Treatment Center

Cancer can affect nearly every part of the digestive system, often requiring the diagnostic skill of physicians who specialize in GI oncology. At Georgetown GI, physicians have the extensive experience necessary to diagnose, and in some cases treat without surgery, many types of gastrointestinal cancers. They work in close consultation with the medical and surgical oncologists of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, nationally recognized as one of the nation’s top cancer facilities. Diagnostic techniques include endoscopy, enteroscopy and endoscopic ultrasound, described in more detail under Specialized Services.

Advanced treatment approaches include:

• Argon Plasma Coagulation, an advanced treatment approach that uses an endoscope to deliver a burst of thermal energy, or heat, to a lesion, including tumors in the stomach, esophagus, and intestine. APC is a faster, simpler alternative to more expensive laser treatments.
• Stents — tiny wire-mesh devices that can be inserted endoscopically into any area accessible to the endoscope in the GI tract to prop open areas that are narrowed by blockages or tumors.