Case series: Two rare cases of primary jejunal adenocarcinoma with different clinical presentation

Abstract

Small bowel tumors are rare, accounting for <5% of gastrointestinal neoplasms, 1%–2% of these being malignant. The most common histological subtype is adenocarcinoma. Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is challenging to diagnose, often presents at a late stage, and has a poor prognosis. Therefore, a high index of clinical suspicion is required to diagnose such patients, and a better outcome with early-stage detection is expected. We report here two cases of jejunal adenocarcinoma. (a) A 53-year-old male presenting with iron deficiency anemia. (b) An 81-year old-female presenting with subacute intestinal obstruction. Diagnosis of SBA remains a challenge. A physician's suspicion and awareness are crucial in such patients. The early diagnosis will affect overall survival and mortality rate. Because the incidence of SBA is very low, there is a need for further studies to evaluate the possible application of newer investigative agents and strategies to obtain a better outcome.

Keywords

• Capsule endoscopy
• diagnosis
• FOLFOX
• small bowel adenocarcinoma
• surgery