Digestive System

Emma HernandezMariana Barranco

Major Organs

Main Functions

1. Ingestion2. Secretion of fluids

and digestive enzymes

3. Mixing and movement of food and wastes through the body

4. Digestion5. Absorption6. Excretion of wastes

1. Stomachs vary in the animal kingdom.

2. The digestive system is home to more cancers, and causes more

cancer mortalities, than any other organ system in the body.

3. An adult female’s small intestine is longer than the average adult

male’s

4. Our salivary glands produce around 1.5 litres of saliva each day

5. Fiber is what's left over when all the other parts of food have been

digested.

Major Diseases/Medical Trends

Colon CancerPolyp growth and irregular cells are the most common development paths for colorectal cancers and can be detected during a routine colonoscopy.GeneticsOncotype Dx® Colon Cancer Assay, ColoPrint®, and ColDx™)have been developed that look at the activity of many different genes in colon cancer tumors. StagingTreatmentNewer surgery techniquesLaparoscopic surgery is done through several small incisions in the abdomen instead of one large one, and it's becoming more widely used for some colon cancers. With robotic surgery, a surgeon sits at a control panel and operates very precise robotic arms to perform the surgery. This type of surgery is also being studied.Immunotherapy

Diverticulosis/Diverticulitis• Small pouches may form along the walls of the large intestine called

diverticuli which cause discomfort to the patient (diverticulosis). These abnormal out pocketing may collect and not be able to empty fecal material which can lead to inflammation.

• Scientist doesn’t know what causes• 1 theory was low-fiber diet• However a recent study found that a low-fiber diet was not associated

with diverticulosis and that a high fober diet and more frequent bowel movements may be linked to an increased rather than decreased.