Gastrointestinal cancers are the most common tumors in the world, yet millions of Americans skip the screenings that could save their lives.
Dr. Wasif Saif, a medical oncologist and GI cancer specialist at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, is urging patients to take a more proactive - and personalized - approach to their health.
“GI tumors together constitute the most common tumor worldwide,” Saif said, noting that the category spans cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and appendix.
Screening guidelines have shifted in recent years from one-size-fits-all age thresholds to a more risk-adapted model. For colon cancer - the most widely screened GI malignancy - colonoscopies are now recommended starting at age 45, or earlier for those with a family history. Alternatives include Cologuard, a stool DNA test, blood-based DNA testing, and virtual colonoscopy.
For cancers of the pancreas, esophagus, and stomach, Saif said high-risk individuals - including those with hereditary gene mutations such as BRCA1, BRCA2, or CDH1 - should pursue specialized imaging and genetic counseling.
His message to patients is simple: “know your cancer.” Understanding the genetic makeup of a tumor, he said, not only clarifies screening needs but also opens the door to precision oncology treatments tailored to the individual.
Karmanos, which has operated for nearly half a century, treats patients through a multidisciplinary team model - bringing together medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists alongside pathologists, geneticists, nutritionists, and palliative care specialists. “More than 50% of the drugs which have been approved by FDA over the last half century were tested at Karmanos Cancer Institute,” Saif said.
For patients already diagnosed, Saif is a vocal advocate for second opinions - and wants to reframe how people think about them.
“A second opinion does not mean distrust,” he said. “It is more about knowing what options are available.”
He emphasized that second opinions can uncover new staging information, molecular data, or access to clinical trials - which he noted are often available to newly diagnosed patients, not just those who have exhausted other treatments.
Karmanos has streamlined the second opinion process to a guaranteed seven-day turnaround. Saif said the speed matters because “the anxiety that the patient is carrying on” is compounded by every day of waiting - and, he added, “you don’t want to be part of the delay in your treatment.”
Patients can request a second opinion at karmanos.org/secondopinion or by calling 1-800-KARMANOS.