GI Cancer Information
Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancers are the most common forms of cancer in Australia and New Zealand, accounting for 20% of all new cancer diagnoses annually. These are cancers of the digestive system, including the oesophagus, stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, small and large bowels, rectum and other digestive organs.
This year, over 20,000 Australians and New Zealanders will be diagnosed with GI cancer, and more than half of these people will die within five years of their diagnosis.
Records from 2003 show that the GI cancers do not discriminate between the sexes, as both men and women are at risk of developing the diseases. In Australia alone, almost 89 people die every week from GI cancers, amounting to almost two deaths in each state every day!
Treating Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancers is often extremely complex and may require a cocktail of strategies, including surgery, radiotherapy and specialist drugs (chemotherapy). To improve care of patients, new kinds of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and drugs need to be developed and tested.
Most importantly, we need to make these new treatments available to cancer patients who are enrolled in clinical studies at hospitals and medical research units, where results are carefully monitored and compared.
Clinical trials are not about laboratories and test tubes. They are about real-life studies to define exactly which medications, surgical techniques, radiation treatments and drugs work best for patients with different medical problems. The results of clinical trials often result in major advances in cancer treatment and patient care. Sub-studies to evaluate biological endpoints and quality of life are also critical components of our clinical trial program.
