Digestive Health
Digestive care that changes lives
Empowering digestive health for people across BC
At Providence Health Care, some of the most complex areas of care fall under a very large umbrella of ‘digestive health’.
Healthy digestion is the foundation for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Your digestive tract can be up to nine metres long with a lot of moving parts. If something goes wrong with just about any of them, you’ll need immediate expert care.
More than 300,000 Canadians are affected by diseases related to digestive health disorders like IBD, and every year, some 24,300 Canadians are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. And these disorders are on the rise.
That’s why we’re removing barriers to care, and transforming the way digestive health issues are addressed across the province. Here are just a few of the specialties that truly set St. Paul’s Hospital apart!
Pillars of care
Early cancer detection with therapeutic endoscopy
Gastrointestinal cancers, including those involving the esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum, are the most common of all cancers; these cancers lead to the highest number of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
To enhance early diagnosis, our expert physicians are highly skilled at using therapeutic endoscopies.
Therapeutic endoscopy is a non-surgical procedure where a physician inserts a slim, flexible tube with an integrated video camera into the stomach (gastroscopy) or colon (colonoscopy). Endoscopies play a critical role in the early diagnosis of GI cancers, and help us treat early cancers and their precursor lesions, known as polyps.
The GI Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital performs more than 9,000 endoscopic procedures a year. It’s one of the only hospitals in Western Canada with specialty training in finding and treating gastrointestinal lesions.
St. Paul’s Hospital is a referral centre within the Lower Mainland that offers patients minimally invasive alternatives to surgery that are safe, effective, and less costly. It’s beneficial for patients and the health care system: a win all around!
Colon cancer screening
In Canada, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of death by cancer.
Cancers start as precancerous growths, or polyps, in the lining of the colon and rectum; these polyps can be detected through screening and then removed at the time of colonoscopy to decrease the risk of colorectal cancer in the future.
Colon screening detects cancer at an earlier stage, when it’s easier to treat, lowering the number of colorectal cancer deaths – because when caught early, over 90% of cases are curable.
St. Paul’s Hospital partners with the BC Cancer Agency and other health authorities to offer free screenings in our Colorectal Clinic, which has saved countless lives in the province.
Leaders in colorectal surgery
St. Paul’s Hospital is a Centre of Excellence in Colorectal Surgery with a specific focus on colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease treatment (IBD), and other lower gastrointestinal tract diseases.
Our colorectal surgeons handle the most complex colorectal cases in BC and the Yukon, perform the most colorectal cancer surgeries in Western Canada, and train the next generation of colorectal surgeons.
We are Canadian pioneers in some of the most innovative, minimally invasive techniques for colorectal cancer surgery, and have built upon this success to become world leaders. Our surgeons have strong ties to oncologists at BC Cancer centres across the province, and are well known for their collaborative approach to patient care.
One of the most significant, defining features of colorectal cancer care at St. Paul’s is our long-term follow-up of patients. Our centre has a colorectal cancer nurse navigator dedicated to keeping in touch with patients after cancer treatment – an approach that has proven to save lives.
Renewed vitality after a lifetime of pain
After decades of abdominal pain and a colon cancer diagnosis, Patti Tonks is on a new path to health, thanks to the team at St. Paul’s Hospital. She learned she suffered from a form of colitis that had taken root high up in her intestines. Aggressive treatment helped bring her colitis into remission, and resection helped address her stage 2 colon cancer.
“I can leave the house and not worry,” she says. “Life became better. I’m just thankful for the path I’m on now.”
A wraparound approach for inflammatory bowel disease treatment (IBD)
Canada has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world. It is estimated that more than 320,000 Canadians are living with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease – both forms of IBD. The number of people with IBD is growing and occurring earlier in life, particularly among children under six.
Inflammatory bowel disease is a complex, chronic illness that impacts nearly every facet of a patient’s life. Those living with IBD experience symptoms such as diarrhea, bleeding, abdominal pain, and nausea, which greatly affects their day-to-day life and takes a toll on their mental health.
Worse yet, the complications of IBD can be life-threatening.
The IBD Centre at St. Paul’s provides comprehensive, innovative care for patients with digestive health concerns. Patients are seen by a team of IBD-trained specialists that includes gastroenterologists, nurses, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a specially trained dietitian, a pharmacist, and world-class researchers.
Living with Crohn’s and with hope for the future
Elyssa Kaufman was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she was 13. The chronic pain and complex side effects of Crohn’s disease led to eight surgeries, including an ostomy and resections, disrupting her schooling, and athletic and professional pursuits.
Over her lifetime, she’s been through the gamut of IBD care, including therapeutic endoscopy, screening for colon cancer and liver diseases, recovery after an ostomy and re-sections, and finally, a tube nutrition program. St. Paul’s Hospital has played a critical role in her journey – so much so that she also became a donor.
A quarter of Canadians have liver disease. St. Paul’s Hospital is here to help.
There are more than 100 liver diseases caused by a variety of factors, such as viruses, toxins, genetics, and alcohol. Nearly one in four Canadians have liver disease, and there is often stigma around it – particularly related to alcohol, viral liver disease, and hepatitis B and C.
Certain liver diseases are more common among members of the Indigenous community, newcomers to Canada, persons living with addictions or mental health issues, and other marginalized populations.
Our team is dedicated to using a compassionate, culturally safe, and sensitive approach in the hope of lowering barriers to care.
Hepatologists at St. Paul’s Hospital – specialists in the evaluation and management of liver disease – collaborate locally, provincially, and nationally, to provide the best patient care.
In BC, we coordinate a network for collaboration for hepatitis C care, have developed liver educational programs, and work with the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Beyond the plate: Leading nutrition support
Food is central to our social gatherings and daily life. For those with digestive disorders, meals can be difficult to digest, or be a source of pain and anxiety.
Patients with health care plans that include nutrition support have access to the BC Home Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Program (BC HPEN) located at St. Paul’s Hospital. Patients in this program are not able to break down and absorb many of the nutrients found in a normal diet and must consume nutrition in alternative ways, such as a feeding tube or an IV.
BC HPEN enables patients to receive vital nutrition at home and receive ongoing care in their community.
Addressing Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) with a new clinic pilot
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a rare but growing condition in BC.
It’s an immune response that causes damage and inflammation in the esophagus, leading to pain, trouble swallowing, and food getting stuck in a patient’s throat.
Its cause isn’t fully understood yet, but experts suspect EoE is due to an allergic reaction to foods or environmental allergens.
Patients often require input from multiple specialists to address this condition, but there currently isn’t a coordinated approach for adults.
We’re looking to fill this crucial gap by piloting a transformative EoE Clinic that consolidates care in one place. This pilot clinic will elevate the patient experience, reduce health care costs, foster research opportunities, and evolve the gold standard of treatment and care.
Expert gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons. Enthusiastic care providers. Efficient, transformative, and compassionate care. Welcome to the new way.
Read more
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$1 million gift from the Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Foundation shapes evolution of Healing Better on the Jim Pattison Medical Campus
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Patti Tonks: On a new path to health, after a lifetime of pain
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How Dr. Carl Brown’s innovations are redefining colorectal surgery
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Gratitude in action: outstanding care inspires donor George Pick to help others in need
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John Barnes is inspired to share the great work at the IBD Centre
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Living with Crohn’s and with hope for the future