Colorectal cancer is the second most common malignancy in Europe and also the second most common cause of cancer death. In Slovenia, the incidence of colorectal cancer is high and…

Gastric cancer is the fifth most prevalent male cancer and the sixth most prevalent female cancer. Although its prevalence is slowly declining in western countries, the mortality asso­ciated with it…

Esophageal carcinoma is one of those malignant tumors which have the worst prognosis and exhibit a marked geographic variation in their incidence. While the incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma…

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a gastrointestinal disease of unknown etiology, which usually lasts a lifetime. It is characterized by a chronic course with frequent flares and inter­mediate periods of…

Gastric and duodenal peptic ulcers are among the most frequent diseases of mankind. Etiological causes for deep gastric and duodenal mucosal lesions are heterogeneous, and among them Helicobacter pylori infection…

Diarrhea is one of the most common diseases for which patients seek medical help. Most (more than 90%) cases of acute diarrhea are caused by enteropathogenic bacteria, viruses or pa­rasites.…

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort with altered frequency of defecation and stool consistency. Some people with IBS also experience urgency…

Celiac disease is a systemic disease with autoimmune inflammatory response triggered by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. It is more prevalent than previously thought and may appear at any age.…

Abdominal pain is a common presentation in outpatient settings and is challenging to diag­nose. As the physician of the first contact, the family physician should be able to recognize life-threatening…

The article shows a histopathological review of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the associated neoplasia. Its etiology is still not well defined and it involves genetic susceptibility, abnormalities in the…

Helicobacter pylori, a spiral shaped pathogenic bacterium, was first isolated by Barry Warren and Robin Marshall about 20 years ago, earning them a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in…

Barrett's esophagus is precancerous condition in which metaplastic change from squamous to glandular epithelium of distal tubular esophagus is encountered, as a result of chronic gas­troesophageal reflux disease. Adenocarcinoma arises…

Nutrient, vitamin and mineral assimilation, along with water and electrolyte absorption, plays an important role in sustaining life. Unfortunately, all too often, a disease points out the impor­tance of these…

The food that we ingest travels from the mouth to the anus. Along this route, the composi­tion of the luminal content changes significantly, since some of the constituents are removed…

The alimentary canal is a series of hollow organs whose common task is to accept and digest food. The first parts of the digestive tube, the oral cavity and the…