Oesophageal Cancer

Oesophageal cancer is a serious type of cancer with approximately 3,200 new cases per year. The main risk factors are excessive smoking and alcohol use, as well as Barrett’s oesophagus, and the most common symptoms are difficulty swallowing (92%), chest pain (78%) and weight loss. Endoscopic biopsy is required for diagnosis. It is treated with the CROSS protocol and minimally invasive surgery. The 5-year survival rate is 72% in early stage (Stage I) but drops to 27% in advanced stages.

Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer, with 9,500 new cases per year in Turkey, has H. pylori infection as the most important risk factor. Early symptoms are a feeling of fullness and epigastric pain. Most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. The treatment involves a combination of minimally invasive surgery and the FLOT protocol. Trastuzumab therapy is added for HER2 positive cases (22%), while the 5-year survival rate can reach 94% in early stage.

Colorectal Cancer

Affecting 5.2% of the population over 50 years old, the main symptoms of colorectal cancer are changes in bowel habits (92%), rectal bleeding (63%) and abdominal pain (52%). Lynch syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease are important risk factors. Regular colonoscopy reduces the risk by 92%. The combination of laparoscopic TME and chemotherapy provides a 72.2% survival rate in Stage III, while neoadjuvant treatment reduces the local recurrence rate to 4.7% in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer

With 4,800 new cases per year, the risk factors for pancreatic cancer are smoking, obesity and long-term diabetes. Most patients present with pain radiating to the back (72%), jaundice (83%) and significant weight loss (92%). Elevated CA 19-9 levels indicate a poor prognosis. The Whipple procedure is performed for resectable tumours, and the FOLFIRINOX protocol achieves a median survival of 11.1 months.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma

HCC, with 6,500 new cases per year, is common in patients with cirrhosis (32% risk) and viral hepatitis carriers. The main symptoms are right upper quadrant pain (83%), ascites (64%) and jaundice (47%). High alpha-fetoprotein levels indicate a poor prognosis. Liver transplantation can achieve a 5-year survival of 78% in patients meeting the Milan criteria. Ablation or resection is used for small tumours, while Sorafenib/Lenvatinib is the treatment for advanced stage.