Upper gastrointestinal tumours: diagnosis and staging

Upper GI tumours have a dismal prognosis. Only early diagnosis and accurate staging can optimize patient management

Diagnosis and staging of small bowel tumours

Small bowel neoplasms comprise only 1% of gastrointestinal neoplasms. Despite their rarity, it is important to diagnose small bowel tumours early to maximize patient survival

Pathways of abdominal tumour spread: the role of the subperitoneal space

The subperitoneal space is a large, unifying, anatomically continuous potential space that connects the peritoneal cavity with the retroperitoneum. This space is formed by the subserosal areolar tissue that lines the inner surfaces of the peritoneum and the musculature of the abdomen and pelvis. It contains the branches of the vascular, lymphatic, and nervous systems that supply the viscera. The subperitoneal space extends into the peritoneal cavity and is invested between the layers of the mesenteries and ligaments that support and interconnect the abdominal and pelvic organs. As such, it provides one large continuous space in which infectious, neoplastic, inflammatory, and hemorrhagic disease may spread in many directions