title: Primary small bowel malignant tumors.
abstract: We reviewed 69 patients who underwent surgery for primary malignant tumors of the small bowel over a 15-year period. Patients with periampullary lesions were excluded, as were those with known adenocarcinomas in other sites. There were 46 males (67%) and 23 females (33%) with an average age at presentation of 52.6 years (range 4-92). Of the 69 patients, four (6%) were asymptomatic. The mean duration of symptoms before diagnosis, in the remaining 65 symptomatic patients, was 3.6 months (range 1 day 1.2 years). The most frequent symptom was abdominal pain (83%), followed by nausea and/or vomiting (54%), and weight loss (43%). Abdominal mass was the most common finding on physical examination (29%), followed by abdominal distension (24%) and abdominal guarding and rigidity (14%). Laboratory examinations were normal in 26 patients (40%). Radiographic study of the duodenum and small bowel was abnormal in 87%. The diagnosis was suspected preoperatively in 51%. Lymphoma was the most common tumor (42%), followed by adenocarcinoma (38%), carcinoid (10%) and leyomiosarcomas (10%). In 41% the neoplasm was located in the jejunum, in 33% in the ileum, in 22% in the duodenum and in 4% multiple sites were found. Lymph node metastases were found in 45% and vascular invasion was found in 19%. Of the 65 symptomatic patients 43% presented as surgical emergencies, the rest had elective surgery. 61% had a curative resection, the rest were palliative or a bypass. The operative mortality rate was 10% and the morbidity rate was 24%. Ten patients underwent emergency surgery, developed a complication, giving a morbidity rate of 32% in this group. The 5-year overall survival was 43.25%. The 5-year survival for carcinoid tumors was 60% while the 5-year survival for small bowel malignant lymphoma and adenocarcinoma was 40 and 34.28% respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Garcia Marcilla
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanchez Bueno
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parrilla Paricio
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000601:surgery; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome