Adenocarcinoma of the jejunum associated with nontropical sprue

Primary jejunoileal tumors: a review of 45 cases

We reviewed 45 patients who underwent surgery for primary jejunoileal tumors over a 15-year period. There were 16 benign and 29 malignant tumors, which included 13 lymphomas, 7 adenocarcinomas, 7 carcinoid tumors, and 2 leiomyosarcomas. Eighteen patients, 13 of whom had benign tumors, presented with intestinal bleeding and 5 tumors were found incidentally at laparotomy. Benign lesions were more frequently sited in the jejunum while malignant lesions were more common in the ileum (p less than 0.001). Lesions presenting with hemorrhage were more likely to be benign than malignant (p less than 0.001) and were more commonly sited in the jejunum than in the ileum (p less than 0.05). Visceral perforation (31%), intestinal obstruction (21%), and an abdominal mass (17%) were other presenting features in patients with malignant tumors. In spite of a wide variety of investigations, the correct diagnosis was reached preoperatively in only 31% of patients. Surgical management included either limited bowel resection or segmental resection with regional lymphadenectomy. Operative mortality was 13% and morbidity was 36%. Actuarial 5-year survival for all malignant tumors was 24%, being 64% at 5 years for carcinoid tumors, 20% at 30 months for adenocarcinomas, and 10% at 42 months for lymphomas. These results reemphasize the need for a high index of suspicion and early laparotomy in patients with obscure intestinal symptoms if the prognosis of small bowel tumors is to improve.

Atypical carcinoid tumor of the small bowel complicating celiac disease

An atypical carcinoid tumor of the small bowel in a patient with celiac disease is described. Although an increased incidence of malignancy has been observed in celiac disease, this seems to be the first report of a carcinoid tumor of the small intestine associated with this condition. Although the significance of this association is unclear, the implications with regard to gastrointestinal endocrine cell proliferation and tumor histogenesis are discussed.

Adenocarcinoma and lymphoma of the small intestine. Distribution and etiologic associations

Malignant small-bowel tumors in 171 patients over 64 years included 68 with adenocarcinomas, 41 with primary lymphomas, 50 with carcinoids, and 12 with sarcomas. The distribution of the carcinomas showed approximately 80% preponderance in the duodenum and proximal jejunum. A similar distribution in the upper small bowel in small-bowel carcinomas induced in Fischer and Sprague-Dawley rats by azoxymethane (90-160 mg/kg) suggests defense mechanisms within ileal mucosa. The clinical series from 1958 to 1976 included two Crohn's carcinomas (jejunum, defunctioned ileum), two jejunal cancers (lymphoma, carcinoma) associated with celiac disease, two duodenal carcinomas arising in villous adenomas, and one jejunal lymphoma following exposure to irradiation. Multiple primary malignancies were found in 20 to 25% of enteric cancers. Hemorrhage was more common with carcinoma than lymphoma, but lymphomas predominated considering perforation or a palpable mass. Both carcinoma and lymphoma had 75 to 80% resectability rates and 14 to 15% five-year postoperative survival rates. The prognosis was least poor for carcinoma of the jejunum, one third of patients with "curative" resections surviving five years.

Coeliac disease, adenocarcinoma of jejunum and in situ squamous carcinoma of oesophagus

The development of both adenocarcinoma of the jejunum and in situ squamous carcinoma of the oesophagus in an adult coeliac patient is described. Good evidence that adenocarcinoma of jejunum occurs more frequently in patients with coeliac disease has recently become available though this association has been suggested for some time. While oesophageal carcinoma has long been associated with coeliac disease, in situ carcinoma of oesophagus has not been previously described in these circumstances. We feel that the risk of this complication, as calculated from published series, warrants a screening programme for oesophageal malignancy in adult coeliacs.

Surgical presentation of small bowel lymphoma in adult coeliac disease

A case of perforation of a small bowel lymphoma in a patient with coeliac disease is reported. Postoperative management was complicated by a large protein and fluid loss from the small bowel, rapidly controlled by treatment with corticosteroids. Attention is drawn, by briefly reviewing 11 other cases, to the ways in which small bowel lymphoma in patients with coeliac disease may present to the surgeon. Most patients who develop this complication of coeliac disease will die within 6 months of the diagnosis of small bowel lymphoma. Attention is drawn in this case to the rapidity with which the tumour grew and became disseminated.

Duodenal adenocarcinoma complicating celiac sprue

We report the occurrence of a duodenal adenocarcinoma in a 49-year-old woman with previously unrecognized celiac sprue. Tumor resection symptomatically unmasked the small intestinal disorder. Gluten restriction effectively controlled her symptoms and the patient has remained well for over a year and a half. This case illustrates the unmasking of subclinical celiac sprue following upper gastrointestinal tract surgery. It may also reflect the association between celiac sprue and malignancy. Duodenal adenocarcinoma is an unusual occurrence in celiac sprue.

Coeliac disease, gluten-free diet, and malignancy

Two hundred and two patients with coeliac disease or idiopathic steatorrhoea previously reported from this unit have been reviewed after a further 10 years of follow-up. Of 20 more deaths, 10 were due to malignancy. A separate study was made of all patients with histologically confirmed coeliac disease seen to the end of 1972 and followed up to the end of 1974. Twenty-one of the 43 deaths in this series were due to malignant tumours, of which 13 were reticulum cell sarcomas. There was no evidence that patients showing sub-optimal clinical response to gluten withdrawal or persisting falt jejunal biopsies were more prone to die of cancer. A gluten-free diet did not appear to be effective in preventing malignant complications, but a longer follow-up of patients will be necessary to provide a final answer to this question.