Gastrointestinal tract cancer: current knowledge, medical treatment, and nursing management.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer includes primary cancers of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and rectum. This article presents an overview of the current knowledge, medical treatment, and nursing management for each of the identified sites, with a focus on surgical interventions and subsequent nursing care. Acute and long-term postoperative sequelae are addressed in addition to current state-of-the-art chemotherapeutic and radiation treatment modalities. This compilation of information regarding GI malignancies is useful for nursing as a current reference as well as for specific patient care issues.