If small intestine cancer spreads

Cancer cells can spread from the small intestine to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care. If small intestine cancer spreads, it can spread to the following:

  • other loops of the small intestine
  • the tissue that supports the small intestine (called the mesentery)
  • the tissues that surround the organs in the abdomen (called the peritoneum)
  • nearby lymph nodes
  • the liver
  • the pancreas
  • the lungs
  • the bones

Expert review and references

  • Aparicio T, Zaanan A, Svrcek M, Laurent-Puig P, Carrere N, Manfredi S, Locher C, Afchain P . Small bowel adenocarcinoma: epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment . Digestive and Liver Disease . 2014 .
  • Arber N, Moshkowitz M . Small intestinal cancers. Jankowiski J, Hawk E (eds.). Handbook of Gastrointestinal Cancer. Wiley-Blackwell; 2013: 4: 67-85.
  • Chamberlain RS, Mahendraraj K, Shah SA . Cancer of the small bowel . DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, & Rosenberg SA . Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology . 10th ed. Philadelphia : Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ; 2015 : 54: 734-744 .
  • Raghav K, Katz MHG, Overman MJ . Cancers of the small bowel. Raghavan D, Blanke CD, Honson DH, et al (eds.). Textbook of Uncommon Cancer. 4th ed. Wiley Blackwell; 2012: 31: 441-464.