Clinical Review of Primary Small Bowel Tumors

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to identify the clinicopathological features and treatment outcome of primary small bowel tumors. METHODS: Sixty-five patients, with primary small bowel tumors, treated at the Samsung Medical Center, between November 1994 and February 2002, were retrospectively analyzed. The mean follow-up was 20.8 months, ranging from 2 to 93 months. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 55.5 years, ranging from 26 to 84 years, with 42 men and 23 women. The most common symptom was abdominal pain (58.5%), followed by bleeding and an abdominal mass. The mean duration of the symptoms was 4.6 months, ranging from 2 days to 24 months. Diagnostic studies were performed by an abdominal CT scan, small bowel series, enteroclysis and angiography. The primary sites of the tumors were the jejunum and the ileum in 33 and 32 patients, respectively. Thirteen (20.0%) patients had benign tumors, including 8 (12.3%) benign stromal tumors, 2 lipomas, 2 hamartomatous polyps and 1 cavernous hemangioma. Fifty-two (80.0%) of the patients had malignant tumors, including 26 (40.0%) malignant stromal tumors, 21 (32.3%) lymphomas and 5 (7.7%) adenocarcinomas. Surgery was performed on all patients; a resection and anastomosis in 45 (69.2%), a right hemicolectomy in 10 (15.3%), an ileocecectomy in 5 (7.6%) and a wedge resection in a further 5 (7.6%). Metastasis was found on initial presentation in 21 (40.4%) patients. Combined liver, bladder and colon resections were performed in 7 (10.7%) patients. Four (6.1%) patients died during the perioperative period. The overall 3 year survival rate of the patients with malignant small bowel tumors was 58.6%. CONCLUSION: Performing aggressive surgical manipulation in suspected small bowel tumors, and the use of postoperative adjuvant therapy in lymphomas, will result in better outcomes for patients.