Small Cell Cancer of the Duodenum

ABSTRACT

Primary small cell cancer of the duodenum is very rare. Only six cases have been reported previously. The patient of this case report was a twenty-year-old male who suffered from frequent nausea and vomiting being accompanied by weight loss. The poorly differentiated neuroendocrine cancer was initially diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy and the patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. The diagnosis was refined as primary small-cell neuroendocrine cancer of which the histological appearance was identical to pulmonary and extrapulmonary small-cell carcinoma. The neuroendocrine differentiation was demonstrated by the positive immunoreactions for neuron-specific enolase. This case emphasizes the need to include the duodenum as a possible primary site when metastatic small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is seen in the absence of apparent pulmonary disease.