title: Primary malignant tumours in the small bowel. (A report about 43 of our own cases and 1134 cases from literature).
abstract: From 1953 until May 1975 6553 patients with malignant tumours of the gastrointestinal-tract were operated on the University Hospital for Surgery in Minich, and in 43 cases (0,67%) a primary small bowel neoplasm was found. In the available literature we gathered a few more than 2000 cases it was possible to compare the data of symptoms and clinical findings with our results. We came to the following conclusion: 1. The main symptoms are abdominal pains in 71% in the literature (83% in our own cases), changing of peristaltic in 52% (33%), melena in 48% (62%), weight loss in 47% (67%), nausea and vomiting in 34% (22%). 2. The Benzidine examination for blood in the stool was in 70 to 90% the cases positive, in 33% we found an aneamia and in 29% a palpable tumour mass. The X-ray contrast exploration is the simplest and best routine method to find the lesion. Recently the selective angiography and the endoscopy are a valuable aid for the diagnostic in the small bowell. 3. The prognosis of these tumours is one of the poorest of the whole tumour surgery. In 60% (81%) of the patients there were a metastazisation at the time of operation; the five year survival ranged from 5 to 32% (12,7% in our own cases). Only with greater awareness of the vague symptoms will it become possible to diagnose the small bowel tumour at an early stage.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007421:Intestine, Small; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged