My Dad Who Is 80 Has A Thickening Of The

My dad who is 80 has a thickening of the walls of his small intestine in a couple of places. They are wanting to do surgery to remove that section. They say that they will do a biopsy...any ideas on what we may be facing? Daughter just trying to get her head around possibilities...not to panic them but for me to field what needs to be done.