Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma, Version 1.2020, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

Jaundice and Elevated Beta-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in a Female: Duodenal Choriocarcinoma, Not Pregnancy

A 29-year-old woman with developmental delay presented with 2.5 weeks of jaundice of the skin with accompanying microcytic anemia (hemoglobin 6.8 g/dL, mean corpuscular volume 70.5 fL), elevated liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase 77 U/L, alanine aminotransferase 95 U/L, alkaline phosphatase 362 U/L), total bilirubin (9.5 mg/dL; 4.4 mg/dL direct), lipase (325 U/L), and cancer antigen 19-9 (68 U/mL). The patient had no prior gastrointestinal or liver disease. CT of the chest/abdomen/pelvis found a large lobulated non-fully obstructing mass in the second and third part of the duodenum, with endoscopic biopsies yielding an invasive, well-differentiated adenocarcinoma positive for cytoplasmic-stained cells to antibody to beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) antigen, suggesting a duodenal choriocarcinoma. Treatment included biliary drainage with a percutaneous transhepatic catheter and folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) chemotherapy, but a repeat CT scan five months later revealed an increase in tumor size and invasion; the patient died shortly thereafter. Beta-hCG-secreting choriocarcinomas are rare, rapidly growing, highly invasive malignant tumors and are uncommonly present at extragonadal sites.

Prognostic Impact of Pancreatic Invasion in Duodenal Carcinoma: A Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND

The prognostic factors for duodenal carcinoma (DC) remain unclear because of its rarity. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of pancreatic invasion (PI) on postoperative survival for patients with DC.

METHODS

This study retrospectively analyzed 86 patients with DC, including 18 patients with PI, who underwent surgical resection between October 2002 and March 2018. The clinicopathologic features and survival outcomes of these patients were investigated to identify the prognostic factors in DC. The long-term survival for the DC patients with PI was compared with that for the patients who underwent resection for resectable pancreatic head carcinoma (RPHC) during the same period.

RESULTS

The median survival time (MST) for the DC patients with PI was 25.7 months, which was significantly worse than for the patients with T2 or deeper DC without PI (p = 0.010). The multivariate analysis showed that the independent prognostic factors were PI (hazard ratio [HR] 7.59; p = 0.019) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) (HR 5.01; p = 0.026). The MST for the DC patients with PI did not differ significantly from that for the RPHC patients treated without adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.135). Comparable rates of microscopic venous invasion and hematogenous metastasis were observed for the DC patients with PI and the RPHC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreatic invasion was an independent prognostic factor in DC. The survival outcomes for the DC patients with PI did not differ from those for the patients with RPHC, which was associated with a high rate of hematogenous recurrence.

Small Bowel Adenocarcinomas: Impact of Location on Survival

BACKGROUND

Proximal (duodenal) small bowel adenocarcinomas have a worse prognosis than distal (jejuno-ileal) tumors, but differences in patient, tumor, and treatment factors between locations remain unclear.

METHODS

Patients in the National Cancer Database with surgically resected pathologic stage I-IV small bowel adenocarcinomas between 2004 and 2015 were analyzed. Clinical stage IV patients were excluded.

RESULTS

Proximal tumors (n = 3767) were more likely to be higher grade (OR 1.52, CI 1.22-1.85 for moderately; OR 1.83, CI 1.49-2.33 for poorly differentiated, P < 0.01 for both) and have positive lymph nodes (OR 2.04, CI 1.30-3.23, P < 0.01), while distal tumors (n = 3252) were likely to be larger (OR 1.31, CI 1.07-1.60 for size > 5 cm, P < 0.01). Proximal tumors were associated with worse overall survival (OS) and stage-specific survival compared with distal tumors (all P < 0.01). Cox regression analysis of the entire cohort showed worse survival with community versus academic cancer programs, higher comorbidity scores, pathologic stage IV, poorly differentiated histology, positive nodal or margin status, and proximal location, while female gender, larger tumor size, and chemotherapy predicted better survival. On separate Cox regression analyses of each location, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with better OS in the proximal cohort (HR 0.70, CI 0.55-0.88, P < 0.01), while adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with better OS for both proximal (HR 0.49, CI 0.42-0.57, P < 0.01) and distal tumors (HR 0.68, CI 0.57-0.81, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Proximal small bowel adenocarcinomas are associated with worse overall and stage-specific survival. This may be due to tumor biologic differences as proximal tumors were more likely to have higher grade. Future studies should further investigate differences between proximal and distal tumors to guide targeted treatment algorithms.

A pathological complete response by chemotherapy with S-1 and oxaliplatin for a locally advanced duodenal adenocarcinoma in Lynch syndrome: a case report

BACKGROUND

Although primary duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA) is a rare malignancy representing ~ 0.5% of all gastrointestinal cancers, the incidence of DA is more frequent in Lynch syndrome. Because of its rarity, treatment strategies or optimal chemotherapeutic regimens have not been clearly defined for advanced DA.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 72-year-old woman with Lynch syndrome visited our hospital with a right upper abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) showed wall thickness with enhancement in the second portion of the duodenum and adjacent abdominal wall, which suggested direct tumor invasion to the abdominal wall. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) showed a large ulcerative tumor in the second portion of the duodenum, and histological analysis revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. A cT4N0M0, cStage IIB (Union for International Control Cancer TNM staging) DA was diagnosed. After three courses of chemotherapy with S-1 and oxaliplatin (SOX), follow-up CT and UGE showed shrinkage of the duodenal tumor. Therefore, the patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with lymph node dissection with curative intent. Histological examination showed a pathological complete response to SOX therapy. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 29. The patient received no adjuvant chemotherapy, and there has been no evidence of recurrence 6 months after the operation.

CONCLUSIONS

SOX therapy provided a remarkable response and can be an optimal chemotherapeutic regimen for advanced DA in Lynch syndrome.