Small bowel cancer in the United States: changes in epidemiology, treatment, and survival over the last 20 years. Ann Surg. 2009;249:63-71. [PMID: 19106677 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0b013e31818e4641]

A rare case of small bowel leiomyosarcoma presenting with acute gastro-intestinal bleeding

A 62-year-old Turkish female was admitted to our hospital with acute, progressive melena. Gastroscopy and colonoscopy could not reveal the cause of the melena. Subsequent CT angiography demonstrated a large, exophytic mass in the ileocecal junction as a source of the haemorrhage, leading to urgent laparotomy and resection. Histopathology revealed a low grade leiomyosarcoma (LMS) and confirmatory immunological staining. Primary LMS of the small bowel is an extremely rare gastrointestinal (GI) malignancy. Presentation with acute GI bleeding is even more exceptional, since LMS is a mainly intramural, exophytic tumour of the bowel wall. Immunohistochemistry plays a crucial role in differentiating LMS from GI stromal tumour. The work up of occult small bowel neoplasms currently consists of MRI enterography or enteroclysis and wireless capsule endoscopy. Treatment is surgical resection. This case highlights the non-specific imaging features of ileal LMS and highlights the management of acute GI bleed.

Small Bowel Neoplasms and Polyps

The small intestine is a relatively privileged organ that only rarely develops malignant or even benign tumors. Given this rarity, the relative inaccessibility of the organ during routine endoscopic procedures, and the typical absence or nonspecific nature of clinical manifestations, these tumors often go undiagnosed. Treatment and prognosis are tailored to each histological subtype of tumor. This chapter will discuss the epidemiology, presentation, diagnostics, and management for the most common small bowel tumors, and will highlight the importance of recognizing patients at higher risk of small bowel neoplasia.

A Retrospective Review of Chemotherapy for Patients with Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma in British Columbia

Background: Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is associated with a poor prognosis. It is an uncommon malignancy and therefore difficult to study. Randomized phase III trials are not available to guide best approaches. The Provincial Cancer Registry of the British Columbia Cancer Agency contains long-term data on patients with SBA. The authors analyzed characteristics and treatment outcomes for SBA patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2008.

Material and methods: Charts of 150 patients with a histological diagnosis of SBA were retrospectively analyzed. Epidemiological and treatment data were collected. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: Baseline characteristics, such as median age at diagnosis (64.5 years), tumor stage (I-II 33%, III-IV 58%, unknown 9%), and location (duodenum 48%, jejunum 31%, ileum 21%) were consistent with published data. 55% of patients had a positive family history of cancer. DFS and OS of 29 patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy were not significantly different to that of 47 patients without (p = 1 and p = 0.211, respectively). In the palliative setting patients treated with polychemotherapy (21 patients) had statistically better OS than patients treated with monochemotherapy (12 patients) (p = 0.0228).

Conclusions: Our study suggests a survival benefit for advanced-stage SBA patients treated with poly- versus monochemotherapy. This, however, was a retrospective analysis with several potential confounders. Nevertheless, our study adds to the evidence suggesting that chemotherapy may be beneficial for patients with SBA, at least in the palliative setting.

A case of adenocarcinoma arising in an ileal diverticulum resected by laparoscopic surgery

Adenocarcinoma arising in an ileal diverticulum are very rare. A 66-year-old man was recognized to have high serum CEA level and periappendiceal polycystic tumor in CT findings. Colonoscopy showed no abnormality in the ileocecal mucosa. However, the patient was suspected of appendiceal adenocarcinoma by PET/CT, which revealed FDG uptake with SUVmax of 3.9 in the tumor, and underwent radial surgery by single-incision laparoscopic surgery. Intraoperative findings showed the mass in the mesenterium of the terminal ileum but not the abnormality of the appendix. The resected specimen revealed a cystic tumor of 45 mm on the back side of the intestinal tract. Pathological findings showed that the tumor lesion mainly consisted of mucinous adenocarcinoma was developing from the base of the ileal diverticula. The postoperative process was going well, and the patient left the hospital 14 days after the operation. The recurrence has not been evident 10 months after the operation.

Surgical Treatment of NEN of Small Bowel: A Retrospective Analysis

BACKGROUND

Neuroendocrine Neoplasms of the small intestine have been noticed more frequently over the past 35 years. They constitute about 25% of all NENs and 29% of all tumors of the small intestine. Due to the predominantly indolent nature and overall good prognosis, the benefit of surgical treatment is still debated.

METHODS

In a retrospective study, data of 83 surgically treated patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms of the small intestine, 48 males and 35 females with a median age of 62 years (range 25-86 years) were analyzed. Patient data were documented in the MaDoc database for neuroendocrine tumors of the University Medical Center of Mainz. IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was used for statistical analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Log-Rank tests, censoring patients at the time of last follow-up, were used to compare the overall survival depending on potential prognostic factors (stage, grade, surgical treatment).

RESULTS

At the time of diagnoses, the most common clinical symptoms were abdominal pain (n = 31, 37.3%), bowel obstruction (n = 11, 13.3%), bowel perforation and peritonitis (n = 3, 3.6%), gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 9, 10.8%), weight loss (n = 11, 13.3%), and carcinoid syndrome (n = 27, 32.5%). 65 patients (78.3%) had lymph node metastasis and in 58 patients (69.9%) distant metastasis were present. Segmental bowel resection (44) was the most common surgical procedure, followed by right hemi-colectomy (32) and explorative laparotomy (7). In most patients (78.9%), lymphadenectomy (systematic/selective) was performed. The 5-year survival of patients who underwent a systematic or a selective lymphadenectomy differed significantly (82.2 vs. 40.0%). The overall 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 88.2, 80.3, and 71.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Mesenteric lymph node metastases are almost invariably present and have significant impact on patients' prognosis. Systematic lymphadenectomy prevents complications and improves the survival. Early surgical treatment should be the goal in order to prevent complications.

Methylation of MGMT Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Stage III Duodenal Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation status has not been extensively investigated in duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the MGMT methylation status and examine its possible prognostic value in patients with stage III DA.

METHODS

Demographics, tumor characteristics and survival were available for 64 patients with stage III DA. MGMT methylation was detected by using MethyLight. A Cox proportional hazard model was built to predict survival, adjusted for clinicopathological characteristics and tumor molecular features, including the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), microsatellite instability (MSI), and KRAS mutations.

RESULTS

MGMT methylation was detected in 17 of 64 (26.6%) patients, and was not correlated with sex, age, tumor differentiation, CIMP, MSI, or KRAS mutations. MGMT methylation was the only one factor associated with both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) on both univariate and multivariate analyses. In patients treated with surgery alone, MGMT-methylated group had worse OS and DFS when compared with MGMT-unmethylated group. However, in patients treated with chemotherapy/radiotherapy, outcomes became comparable between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate MGMT methylation is a reliable and independent prognostic factor in DAs. Methylation of MGMT is associated with poor prognosis in patients with stage III DAs.

Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma

Small bowel adenocarcinomas (SBAs) are rare tumors, but their incidence is increasing. The most common primary location is the duodenum. Even though SBAs are more often sporadic, some diseases are risk factors. Early diagnosis of small bowel adenocarcinoma remains difficult, despite significant radiologic and endoscopic progress. After R0 surgical resection, the main prognostic factor is lymph node invasion. An international randomized trial (BALLAD [Benefit of Adjuvant Chemotherapy For Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma] study) will evaluate the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. For metastatic disease, retrospectives studies suggest that platinum-based chemotherapy is the most effective treatment. Phase II studies are ongoing to evaluate targeted therapy in metastatic SBA.

Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors are increasingly diagnosed, either incidentally as part of screening processes, or for symptoms, which have commonly been mistaken for other disorders initially. The diagnostic workup to characterize tumor behaviour and prognosis focuses on histologic, anatomic, and functional imaging assessments. Several therapeutic options exist for patients ranging from curative and debulking surgery through to liver-directed therapies and systemic treatments. Multimodal therapies are often required over the patient's disease history. The management paradigm can be complex but should be focused on curative resections and then on controlling symptoms and limiting disease progression. There are several new systemic therapies that have completed phase 3 studies with new compounds being studied in phase 2. Genetic and epigenetic markers may lead to a new era of personalised therapy in the future.

Incidence of, phenotypes of and survival from small bowel cancer in Denmark, 1994-2010: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Small bowel cancer (SBC) is a rare and highly heterogeneous disease in respect to both anatomical distribution and histological morphology. We aimed to conduct a Danish nationwide population-based cohort study of the incidence of, phenotypes of, stage of, synchronous/metachronous cancer occurrence of and survival from SBC during 1994-2010.

METHODS

The study population included all individuals aged 16 years or older living in Denmark during 1994-2010 (n = 7,070,142). Patients with SBC were identified through the Danish Cancer Registry. Incidence rates were calculated overall and according to the anatomical origin and morphological subtype. Patients were followed up from the date of cancer diagnosis to the date of emigration, death or the end of the study (31 December 2010).

RESULTS

SBC was diagnosed in 1088 patients during 1994-2010. The total annual incidence of SBC was 1.10 per 100,000 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.17 per 100,000], with an annual percentage change of 1.9 % (95 % CI 0.6-3.1 %, p = 0.003) during the observation period. This increase was mainly explained by an increase in the occurrence of duodenal adenocarcinomas, with an annual percentage change of 7.5 % (95 % CI 4.9-10.2 %, p < 0.001). Further, 29 % of all SBC patients had metastatic cancer at the time of diagnosis and 32 % had one or more synchronous/metachronous cancers. All morphological subtypes were associated with poor 5-year prognoses, in particular duodenal adenocarcinomas, with a 5-year survival rate of only 16 % (95 % CI 12-22 %).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of SBC has increased in recent decades, mainly because of a large increase in the incidence of duodenal adenocarcinomas, which are also associated with the poorest prognosis.

Trends in incidence, treatment and survival of small bowel adenocarcinomas between 1999 and 2013: a population-based study in The Netherlands

BACKGROUND

We conducted a population-based study to establish the incidence, treatment and overall survival over time of patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All patients diagnosed with small bowel adenocarcinoma in the Netherlands between 1999 and 2013 were included (n = 1775). Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated per 100 000 person-years using the European standardized population rate. The influence of patient and tumor characteristics on the administration of chemotherapy was analyzed by means of a multivariable logistic regression analysis. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was conducted to evaluate trends in treatment and survival and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify prognostic factors of overall survival.

RESULTS

The incidence of small bowel adenocarcinomas increased, mainly due to an almost twofold increase of duodenal adenocarcinomas. Patients with locoregional duodenal tumors were less likely to undergo surgery (58%), towards 95% of the locoregional jejunal and ileal tumors (p < 0.0001). The use of chemotherapy doubled for adjuvant (7-15%) and palliative chemotherapy (19-37%). Median overall survival of patients with locoregional disease increased from 19 to 34 months (p = 0.0006), whereas median overall survival of patients with metastatic disease remained 4-5 months. Favorable prognostic factors for prolonged survival in locoregional disease, identified by multivariable survival analysis, included age <60 years, tumor stage I or II, diagnosis in 2009-2013, surgical treatment and chemotherapy. Favorable prognostic factors for prolonged survival in metastatic disease were age <50 years, jejunal tumors, surgical treatment and chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Small bowel adenocarcinomas are rare tumors with an increasing incidence. The administration of adjuvant and palliative chemotherapy doubled, but median overall survival only increased for patients with locoregional disease. Given the rarity and dismal prognosis, it is important to develop international studies to determine the optimal treatment for these patients.

Metastatic Ovarian Tumors Originating From a Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma - A Case Report and Brief Literature Review

Approximately 1.6% of tumors metastatic to the ovary of nongynecologic origin are from a small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA). However, the incidence of SBA is extremely rare (0.23 cases/100,000 people), which suggests a high frequency of ovarian metastasis, although the reason is unknown. To identify the characteristics of ovarian tumor metastasis from SBA, we reviewed 72 cases reported in the English literature, including the case presented in this report. The mean age of the patients was 46.7 yr. Solitary ovarian metastasis was observed in 67% of the cases, and ovarian metastasis was accompanied by peritoneal dissemination in 33% of the cases. Although duodenal adenocarcinoma has the highest incidence among the SBAs, jejunal adenocarcinoma, particularly that at the proximal end, is the type of SBA that most frequently metastasizes to the ovary. Among the cases of ovarian metastasis from SBA, 51% were bilateral, 33% were unilateral to the right ovary, and 16% were unilateral to the left ovary.

Small bowel neuroendocrine tumors: A critical analysis of diagnostic work-up and operative approach

BACKGROUND

Small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SB-NETs) are often small, multifocal, difficult to localize preoperatively, and can be overlooked during operative exploration. The optimal work-up and operative approach is unknown.

METHODS

Patients who underwent resection of SB-NETs at a single-institution from 2000 to 2014 were included. Primary aim was to describe the diagnostic work-up and compare minimally invasive (MIS) to open resection.

RESULTS

Ninety-three patients underwent resection for SB-NETs. About 71% were symptomatic and on average underwent three diagnostic tests: 45% had octreoscans (85% diagnostic yield); 11% had SB-enteroscopy (10% yield); 19% had capsule endoscopy (83% yield, but identified the correct tumor number in only 21%). About 27 pts underwent MIS versus 66 open. MIS pts were younger (56 vs. 61 yrs; P = 0.035), and less likely to have obstruction (4% vs. 24%; P = 0.019) and metastases (19% vs. 44%; P = 0.038). Compared to open, MIS had smaller (1.7 vs. 2.4 cm; P = 0.03) and fewer tumors resected (2 vs. 5; P = 0.049), but similar LN yield (13 vs. 12; P = 0.7). In non-metastatic, curative-intent resections, MIS still resected fewer tumors compared to open (1.5 vs. 4; P = 0.034).

CONCLUSION

Capsule endoscopy may be better than small bowel enteroscopy at identifying occult SB-NETs, but may underestimate tumor burden. While MIS may be appropriate in select patients, recognizing the limitations of preoperative evaluation is critical for these tumors, as heightened operative vigilance is often required. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:671-676. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The association between biliary tract inflammation and risk of digestive system cancers: A population-based cohort study

The relationship between biliary tract inflammation (BTI) and digestive system cancers is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between BTI and the risks of digestive system cancers.Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance claims data, information on a cohort of patients diagnosed with BTI (n = 4398) between 2000 and 2009 was collected. A comparison cohort of sex-, age-, and index year-matched persons without BTI (n = 17,592) was selected from the same database. The disease was defined by the ICD-9-CM. Both cohorts were followed until the end of 2010 and incidences of digestive system cancers were calculated.The results revealed an increase in adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of biliary tract cancer (24.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.20-65.02), primary liver cancer (1.53; 95% CI: 1.07-2.18), and pancreatic cancer (3.10; 95% CI: 1.20-8.03) in patients with both gallbladder and BTI. The aHR of stomach cancer was also found to be increased (2.73; 95% CI: 1.28-5.81) in patients with gallbladder inflammation only. There were no differences in esophageal cancer (aHR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.23-2.87) and colorectal cancer (aHR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.59-1.45). The aHR for digestive system cancers increased by 3.66 times (95% CI: 2.50-5.35) and 12.20 times (95% CI: 8.66-17.17) in BTI visits frequency averaged 2 to 4 visits per year and frequency averaged ≥5 visits per year, respectively.Patients with BTI have significantly higher risk of digestive system cancers, particularly biliary tract, pancreatic, and primary liver cancers, compared with those who are without it.

Comparison of abdominal adiposity and overall obesity in relation to risk of small intestinal cancer in a European Prospective Cohort

BACKGROUND

The etiology of small intestinal cancer (SIC) is largely unknown, and there are very few epidemiological studies published to date. No studies have investigated abdominal adiposity in relation to SIC.

METHODS

We investigated overall obesity and abdominal adiposity in relation to SIC in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a large prospective cohort of approximately half a million men and women from ten European countries. Overall obesity and abdominal obesity were assessed by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was performed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Stratified analyses were conducted by sex, BMI, and smoking status.

RESULTS

During an average of 13.9 years of follow-up, 131 incident cases of SIC (including 41 adenocarcinomas, 44 malignant carcinoid tumors, 15 sarcomas and 10 lymphomas, and 21 unknown histology) were identified. WC was positively associated with SIC in a crude model that also included BMI (HR per 5-cm increase = 1.20, 95 % CI 1.04, 1.39), but this association attenuated in the multivariable model (HR 1.18, 95 % CI 0.98, 1.42). However, the association between WC and SIC was strengthened when the analysis was restricted to adenocarcinoma of the small intestine (multivariable HR adjusted for BMI = 1.56, 95 % CI 1.11, 2.17). There were no other significant associations.

CONCLUSION

WC, rather than BMI, may be positively associated with adenocarcinomas but not carcinoid tumors of the small intestine.

IMPACT

Abdominal obesity is a potential risk factor for adenocarcinoma in the small intestine.

Small bowel adenocarcinoma in Lynch syndrome: A case report

Small bowel adenocarcinoma is part of the tumor spectrum of Lynch syndrome, which is caused by germline mutations in the mismatch repair genes. The present study describes the case of a 51-year-old man fulfilling the Amsterdam II criteria for Lynch syndrome, who had a 15-mm early-stage colorectal cancer resected endoscopically from the ascending colon. Due to upper abdominal discomfort after eating and consequent anorexia, a computed tomography scan performed 1 month later showed a tumoral mass of the upper jejunum with local lymphadenopathy. The laparotomy revealed a completely obstructing mass. Intraoperative frozen section showed a small bowel adenocarcinoma. Subsequent genetic testing confirmed the germline mutation of mutL homolog 1. The patient received 6 cycles of an adjuvant folinic acid, fluorouracil and ocaliplatin chemotherapy regimen. The latest CT scan, 16 months after the chemotherapy, did not show any recurrence. This case highlights the importance of considering the possibility of small bowel adenocarcinoma in patients with upper bowel obstruction, particularly for patients with Lynch syndrome.

Comprehensive molecular pathology analysis of small bowel adenocarcinoma reveals novel targets with potential for clinical utility

Small bowel accounts for only 0.5% of cancer cases in the US but incidence rates have been rising at 2.4% per year over the past decade. One-third of these are adenocarcinomas but little is known about their molecular pathology and no molecular markers are available for clinical use.

Using a retrospective 28 patient matched normal-tumor cohort, next-generation sequencing, gene expression arrays and CpG methylation arrays were used for molecular profiling.

Next-generation sequencing identified novel mutations in IDH1, CDH1, KIT, FGFR2, FLT3, NPM1, PTEN, MET, AKT1, RET, NOTCH1 and ERBB4. Array data revealed 17% of CpGs and 5% of RNA transcripts assayed to be differentially methylated and expressed respectively (p < 0.01). Merging gene expression and DNA methylation data revealed CHN2 as consistently hypermethylated and downregulated in this disease (Spearman −0.71, p < 0.001). Mutations in TP53 which were found in more than half of the cohort (15/28) and Kazald1 hypomethylation were both were indicative of poor survival (p = 0.03, HR = 3.2 and p = 0.01, HR = 4.9 respectively).

By integrating high-throughput mutational, gene expression and DNA methylation data, this study reveals for the first time the distinct molecular profile of small bowel adenocarcinoma and highlights potential clinically exploitable markers.

Bile duct metastasis of duodenal bulb carcinoma misdiagnosed as postoperative cholangitis: A case report

Duodenal bulb carcinoma is very rare, and its metastasis to the bile duct is even extremely rare. As a result, both tend to be misdiagnosed or have a missed diagnosis. Here we report a case of bile duct metastasis of duodenal bulb carcinoma after surgery, which was initially misdiagnosed as cholangitis. A definite diagnosis was made by postoperative pathology after biliary intestinal anastomosis. Our case suggests that clinicians should enhance their awareness of duodenal adenocarcinoma and its metastasis to the bile duct to reduce or avoid missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis and improve patients' survival rate.

Evaluation of Bevacizumab in Advanced Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Small bowel adenocarcinomas (SBAs) are rarely seen tumors. Data regarding the use of chemotherapy together with bevacizumab in patients with advanced SBA are lacking. The aim of this study was the evaluation of treatment with bevacizumab in advanced SBA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-eight patients from 5 centers with a diagnosis of advanced SBA who received first-line treatments with modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6; oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil) and FOLFIRI (leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan) chemotherapy regimens were involved in the study. All patients were divided into 2 groups; those who received bevacizumab together with these chemotherapy regimens (Chemo+Bev group) and those who did not receive bevacizumab (Chemo group).

RESULTS

The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times of all population were 8.7 months and 16.9 months, respectively. The overall response rate was 43.7% in the Chemo group and 58.3% in the Chemo+Bev group. The median PFSs in the Chemo and Chemo+Bev groups were found to be 7.7 months and 9.6 months, respectively, and the median OSs were 14.8 months and 18.5 months, respectively. There was not a significant difference between the groups in terms of overall response rate, PFS, and OS.

CONCLUSION

Although there was no significant difference in any of the outcomes, use of bevacizumab together with chemotherapy is a more effective treatment approach compared with chemotherapy alone, and it does not cause an excess of significant toxicity.

Obesity promotes PhIP-induced small intestinal carcinogenesis in hCYP1A-db/db mice: involvement of mutations and DNA hypermethylation of Apc

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of cancer. To study the promotion of dietary carcinogen-induced gastrointestinal cancer by obesity, we employed 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) to induce intestinal tumorigenesis in CYP1A-humanized (hCYP1A) mice, in which mouse Cyp1a1/1a2 was replaced with human CYP1A1/1A2 Obesity was introduced in hCYP1A mice by breeding with Lepr(db/+) mice to establish the genetically induced obese hCYP1A-Lepr(db/db) mice or by feeding hCYP1A mice a high-fat diet. PhIP induced the formation of small intestinal tumors at the ages of weeks 28-40 in obese hCYP1A mice, but not in lean hCYP1A mice. No tumors were found in colon and other gastrointestinal organs in the lean or obese mice. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we found strong positive staining of NF-κB p65, pSTAT3 and COX2 as well as elevated levels of nuclear β-catenin (Ctnnb1) in small intestinal tumors, but not in normal tissues. By sequencing Apc and Ctnnb1 genes, we found that most PhIP-induced small intestinal tumors in obese mice carried only a single heterozygous mutation in Apc By bisulfite-sequencing of CpG islands of Apc, we found DNA hypermethylation in a CpG cluster located in its transcription initiation site, which most likely caused the inactivation of the wild-type Apc allele. Our findings demonstrate that PhIP-induced small intestinal carcinogenesis in hCYP1A-db/db mice is promoted by obesity and involves Apc mutation and inactivation by DNA hypermethylation. This experimental result is consistent with the association of obesity and the increased incidence of small intestinal cancer in humans in recent decades.

Concurrent Occurrence of Tumor in Colon and Small Bowel following Intestinal Obstruction: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

An intestinal obstruction occurs when either the small or large intestine is partly or completely blocked so it prevents passing the food or fluid through the small/large bowel. This blockage is due to the existence of a mechanical obstruction such as foreign material, mass, hernia, or volvulus. Common symptoms include cramping pain, nausea and vomiting, changes in bowel habits, inability to pass stool, and lack of gas. We present a case of an 83-year-old man who had been referred to Taleghani Hospital with symptoms of bowel obstruction. He underwent the surgery. The findings of exploration of the entire abdomen showed two types of mass separately in two different organs. In postoperative workup, pathology reported two types of tumors (adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine tumors).

Rare but real: management of small bowel adenocarcinoma

Despite representing the longest segment of the alimentary tract, small bowel adenocarcinomas are rare. The diagnosis of small bowel adenocarcinoma is frequently delayed because of the nonspecific clinical symptoms and the limitations of small bowel imaging. The majority of patients will present with either lymph node or distant metastatic disease. Though the role of adjuvant therapy for resected small bowel adenocarcinoma is unclear, recent research efforts have led to an improvement in our management of advanced disease. Prospective phase II studies have successfully enrolled patients with this rare tumor type and have established the combination of a fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin as the most appropriate front-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced disease. Currently, five prospective clinical trials have been designed for patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma and enrollment to these clinical trials should be encouraged.

Treatment and Survival of Small-bowel Adenocarcinoma in the United States: A Comparison With Colon Cancer

BACKGROUND

Small-bowel adenocarcinoma is rare and fatal. Because of data paucity, there is a tendency to extrapolate treatment from colon cancer, particularly in the adjuvant stetting.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current surgical and adjuvant treatments of small-bowel adenocarcinoma and compare with colon cancer.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort study.

SETTINGS

The linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results and Medicare database was used at a tertiary referral hospital.

PATIENTS

Patients with small-bowel adenocarcinoma and colon cancer identified from 1992 to 2010, using International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3 Revision, site, behavior, and histology codes were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Overall survival and cancer-specific survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and competing risk analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 2123 patients with small-bowel adenocarcinoma and 248,862 patients with colon cancer were identified. Five-year overall survival rates for patients with small-bowel adenocarcinoma and colon cancer were 34.9% and 51.5% (p < 0.0001). A total of 1550 patients with small-bowel adenocarcinoma (73.0%) underwent surgery, compared with 177,017 patients with colon cancer (71.1%). The proportion of patients who received chemotherapy was similar, at 21.3% for small bowel and 20.0% for colon. In contrast to colon cancer, chemotherapy did not improve overall or cancer-specific survival for patients with small-bowel adenocarcinoma, regardless of stage. Predictors of poor survival for small-bowel adenocarcinoma on multivariate analysis included advanced age, black race, advanced stage, poor tumor differentiation, high comorbidity index, and distal location. Chemotherapy did not confer additional survival benefit compared with surgery alone (HR, 1.04 (95% CI, 0.90-1.22)).

LIMITATIONS

This was a retrospective review. The reliance on Medicare data limited granularity and may have affected the generalizability of the results.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis for small-bowel adenocarcinoma is worse than that for colon cancer, and only surgery improves survival. In contrast to colon cancer, a survival benefit from current chemotherapy regimens for small-bowel adenocarcinoma is not seen, suggesting that it may be overused and needs more rigorous study.

Advanced small bowel adenocarcinoma: Molecular characteristics and therapeutic perspectives

Small bowel cancer represents less than 5% of all gastrointestinal cancers, while small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) accounts for about one third of all cancers of the small bowel. Although SBA frequently appears sporadically, some diseases are risk factors, such as Crohn's disease and some genetic predispositions to cancer. Progress in the identification of molecular alterations suggests some similarities in carcinogenesis between SBA and colorectal cancer. Evidence levels for the treatment and prognosis of these tumors are insufficient because of the scarcity of this disease and the absence of randomized trials. Chemotherapy based on fluoropyrimidine plus a platinum salt appears to be the most effective treatment regimen in non-randomized prospective trials for advanced SBA. Targeted therapy, against the angiogenic pathway or the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway, for example, is not yet established, but seems promising given the over-expression of vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF)-A or EGFR observed in SBA. Phase I and II studies are currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of these targeted therapies in SBA treatment. The low incidence of SBA should promote the development of international collaborations to improve our knowledge of the biological mechanisms underlying these tumors and to set up therapeutic trials.

Duodenal adenocarcinoma: Advances in diagnosis and surgical management

Duodenal adenocarcinoma is a rare but aggressive malignancy. Given its rarity, previous studies have traditionally combined duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA) with either other periampullary cancers or small bowel adenocarcinomas, limiting the available data to guide treatment decisions. Nevertheless, management primarily involves complete surgical resection when technically feasible. Surgery may require pancreaticoduodenectomy or segmental duodenal resection; either are acceptable options as long as negative margins are achievable and an adequate lymphadenectomy can be performed. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation are important components of multi-modality treatment for patients at high risk of recurrence. Further research would benefit from multi-institutional trials that do not combine DA with other periampullary or small bowel malignancies. The purpose of this article is to perform a comprehensive review of DA with special focus on the surgical management and principles.

Primary adenocarcinoma of the small intestine presenting as superior mesenteric artery syndrome: A case report

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS) is an uncommon cause of vomiting and weight loss due to compression of the third part of the duodenum by the superior mesenteric artery. Small bowel adenocarcinoma is an uncommon tumor, which is frequently delayed in diagnosis as its symptoms and signs are non-specific. The present study describes a case of SMAS occurring in a 51-year-old man, caused by intestinal obstruction secondary to a primary adenocarcinoma of the duodenal-jejunal junction. To the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first report of small bowel adenocarcinoma masquerading as SMAS. The present case highlights the importance of considering the possibility of SMAS in patients with upper bowel obstruction caused by intestinal carcinoma.

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage: evaluation with MDCT

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common medical problem, with high associated morbidity and mortality. The clinical presentation of gastrointestinal hemorrhage varies with the location of the bleeding source, the intensity of the bleed, and the presence of comorbidities that affect the ability to tolerate blood loss. Conventional endoscopic examinations are usually the initial diagnostic tests in patients presenting with overt gastrointestinal hemorrhage. However, implementation of upper tract endoscopy and colonoscopy in the emergency setting can be challenging due to inconsistent availability of the service and difficulties in achieving adequate colonic cleansing in emergent situations. Thus, imaging tests are often relied upon to establish the location and the cause of bleeding, either for initial diagnosis or after non-revealing upper and lower tract endoscopies ("obscure" bleeding). This article discusses the imaging evaluation of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding and reviews the imaging appearance of the most common causes, taking into account the two most relevant clinical presentations: overt bleeding and obscure bleeding.

Duodenal Adenocarcinoma Metastatic to the Breast: A Case Report

Duodenal adenocarcinoma, a very rare malignant gastrointestinal tumor, mainly metastasizes via the lymphatic system. Metastases from duodenal adenocarcinomas to the breast are very uncommon. A 31-year-old woman presented at our department with a left breast tumor. She had a past medical history of duodenal adenocarcinoma. Physical examination on admission confirmed a 2.5-cm-diameter tumor in the outer lower quadrant of the left breast. Computed tomography (CT) examination showed a soft lesion with tissue-like density and enlarged axillary lymph nodes. Local excision was performed to remove the breast lesion. The findings of cytologic, histologic, and immunohistochemistry examination indicated a breast metastasis from the previous duodenal adenocarcinoma. The patient was treated with palliative chemotherapy. Metastases from duodenal adenocarcinoma to the breast are rare. The diagnosis depends on medical history, imaging, and pathologic examination including immunohistochemistry. An accurate diagnosis is important to avoid unnecessary surgery.

The Prognostic Significance of Lymph Node Ratio in Carcinoid Tumors

OBJECTIVES

Nodal metastases are an important prognostic factor in survival for patients with carcinoid tumors. However, it is unclear if the current American Joint Committee on Cancer's gastrointestinal carcinoid staging guidelines, which look only at presence or absence of regional metastases (N1/N0), are fully utilizing lymph node data. Some research has indicated that lymph node ratios (LNRs) are powerful predictors of survival. In our study, we evaluated LNR in carcinoid tumors.

METHODS

Eleven thousand one hundred eighty-nine carcinoid tumors recorded in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 1988 and 2011 were evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the ability of nodal involvement or LNR to predict 10-year survival. All analyses were performed using STATA and SAS version 9.3.

RESULTS

Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that LNR and node positivity were both predictive of 10-year survival, AUC = 0.734, P < 0.0001; AUC = 0.7048, P < 0.0001. Lymph node ratio was 88% specific and 50% sensitive in predicting 10-year survival. N1 was 88% specific and 49% sensitive in predicting 10-year survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicated that LNR is an independent predictor of survival for patients with carcinoid tumors but was no better than N1/N0 for 10-year survival.

A very rare case of a small bowel leiomyosarcoma leading to ileocaecal intussusception treated with a laparoscopic resection: a case report and a literature review

Background

Small bowel tumours are rare and comprise less than 2 % of all primary gastrointestinal neoplasms. Among these tumours, a leiomyosarcoma belonging to soft tissue sarcomas is extremely rare and accounts for about 1 % of malignant mesenchymal lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. Due to its aggressive nature and slow growth, it is often diagnosed at the late stage when curative treatment is impossible. Authors report a first case of leiomyosarcoma with chronic recurrent ileocaecal intussusception and literature review to analyse diagnosis and treatment features of the ileum mesenchymal tumours.

Case presentation

We present a case of an 87-year-old Caucasian man suffering from cramp-like abdominal pain for months. Due to lack of clinical signs and unspecific complaints, a diagnosis was delayed. Despite a detailed in-hospital examination, a proper diagnosis was established as late as during an operation. The patient was treated by surgery with good results. An uncommon laparoscopic resection of the small bowel with a tumour was performed. A histopathological investigation confirmed a very rare mesenchymal lesion of the distal ileum. The patient is under control with no recurrence for 1 year of the follow-up period.

Conclusions

Reported case indicates that a usually asymptomatic tumour can cause uncommon chronic recurrent ileus signs. CT and MRI scans are investigation of choice in such cases, but they are sometimes inconclusive. It might be worth highlighting the good results of laparoscopic leiomyosarcoma lesion resection with a very good outcome.

Patients with Adenocarcinoma of the Small Intestine with 9 or More Regional Lymph Nodes Retrieved Have a Higher Rate of Positive Lymph Nodes and Improved Survival

PURPOSE

To assess the influence of regional lymph node (RLN) retrieval on stage migration of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine and survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database,1090 patients with nonmetastatic small bowel adenocarcinoma were identified in between 2004 and 2011. The impact of the number of RLNs removed on histopathological staging and oncological outcome was assessed utilizing Cox proportional hazard regression models with and without risk-adjustment, propensity score methods, and joinpoint regression analysis.

RESULTS

The rate of node-positive cancer increased steadily with the number of retrieved RLNs up to 9 RLNs, which suggests that a minimum of 9 (95 % CI 5.5–10.5) retrieved RLNs are needed for the detection of node-positive disease (P < 0.001). From 657 of 1090 patients (60.3 %), 9 or more RLNs were retrieved. While in 2004 only in 46.0 % of all cases 9+ RLNs were retrieved, this rate increased to 69.3 % in 2011 (P < 0.001). The multivariable analysis demonstrated that the retrieval of 9+ RLNs was associated with better overall (hazard ratio of death [HR] = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.55–0.82, P < 0.001) and cancer-specific survival (HR = 0.77, 95 % CI 0.61–0.96, P = 0.022). This finding was confirmed by a propensity score-adjusted analysis, which indicated increased overall (HR = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.50–0.89, P < 0.001) and cancer-specific survival (HR = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.49–0.92, P = 0.013) in patients with the retrieval of 9+ RLNs.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first population-based propensity score-adjusted investigation in small bowel adenocarcinoma. A sufficient number of RLNs should be retrieved to achieve an optimal oncological outcome

Capsule Endoscopy for Ileitis with Potential Involvement of Other Sections of the Small Bowel

Ileitis is defined as inflammation of the ileum. This condition includes ulcers, aphthous ulcers, erosions, and nodular or erythematous mucosa. Various etiologies are associated with ileitis. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, infectious conditions, neoplasms, infiltrative disorders, vasculitides, spondyloarthritis, endometriosis, and radiation therapy-related conditions involve the ileum. However, the differential diagnosis of terminal ileitis can be difficult in many cases. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) has become a useful tool for the diagnosis of a variety of small bowel lesions. This review describes each of the various conditions associated with ileitis and the diagnostic value of VCE for ileitis, which may help identify and evaluate these conditions in clinical practice. Based on the information provided by VCE, a definitive diagnosis could be made using the patients' medical history, clinical course, laboratory and ileocolonoscopic findings, radiologic imaging findings, and histologic findings.

Role of Staging in Patients with Small Intestinal Neuroendocrine Tumours

Small bowel neuroendocrine tumours are the commonest malignancy arising in the small intestine and have substantially increased in incidence in recent decades. Patients with small bowel neuroendocrine tumours commonly develop lymph node and/or distant metastases. Here, we examine the role of staging in 84 surgically treated patients with small bowel neuroendocrine tumours, comparing diagnostic information yielded from morphological, functional and endoscopic modalities. Furthermore, we correlate pre-operative staging with intra-operative findings in a sub-cohort of 20 patients. The vast majority of patients had been histologically confirmed to have low-grade (Ki-67 <2%) disease; however, lymph node and distant metastases were observed in 74 (88.1%) and 51 (60.7%) of patients at presentation, respectively. Liver metastases were evident in 48 (57.1%) patients, with solely peritoneal and bone metastases observed in 2 (2.4%) and 1 (1.2%) patients, respectively. Forty patients (47.6%) received multimodal treatment. In our sub-cohort analysis, pre-operative imaging understaged disease in 14/20 (70%) when compared with intra-operative findings. In patients with multifocal primary tumours and miliary liver metastases, no imaging modality was able to detect entire disease spread. Overall, presently available imaging modalities heavily underestimate disease stage, with meticulous intra-operative abdominal examination being superior to any imaging technology. Multimodal treatment has an important role in prolonging survival.

Gastric and Small Bowel Tumors

The incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma has decreased in the United States over the past 70 years although it continues to have a poor prognosis. While radical resection was initially the primary treatment for adenocarcinoma of the stomach, systemic chemotherapy and radiation have been shown to play a role in prolonging survival in most patient populations. This chapter explores the evidence that guides treatment for gastric cancer today. It also discusses the treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), and small bowel tumors. In addition to systemic therapies, this chapter explores the surgical management of gastric and small bowel tumors including the extent of the gastric lymph node dissection.

Efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for small bowel adenocarcinoma: A propensity score-matched analysis

BACKGROUND

The role of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in the treatment of small bowel adenocarcinoma is poorly defined. Previous analyses have been limited by small sample sizes and have failed to demonstrate a survival advantage.

METHODS

Patients with resected small bowel adenocarcinoma (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] pathologic stage I-III) who were receiving AC (n = 1674) or surgery alone (SA; n = 3072) were identified in the NCDB (1998-2011). Cox regression identified covariates associated with overall survival (OS). AC and SA cohorts were matched (1:1) by propensity scores based on the likelihood of receiving AC or the survival hazard from Cox modeling. OS was compared with Kaplan-Meier estimates.

RESULTS

The omission of AC conferred an increased risk of death (hazard ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-1.50; P < .001). After propensity score matching, there was a nonsignificant trend toward improved OS with AC in AJCC stage I patients (158.8 vs 110.7 months; P = .226) and AJCC stage II patients (104.0 vs 79.6 months; P = .185), including the subset with a T4 tumor classification (64.0 vs 47.4 months; P = .130) or a positive resection margin (44.4 vs 31.0 months; P = .333). Median OS was superior for patients with AJCC stage III disease who were receiving AC versus SA (42.4 vs 26.1 months; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

These data support the use of AC for resected stage III small bowel adenocarcinoma. The trend toward improved OS for patients without nodal metastasis, including those who have T4 tumors or have undergone positive-margin resection, may justify the use of AC in select patients with earlier stage disease. Cancer 2016;122:693-701. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Most small bowel cancers are revealed by a complication

Objective

To characterize the pattern of primary small bowel cancers in a tertiary East-European hospital.

Methods

A retrospective study of patients with small bowel cancers admitted to a tertiary emergency center, over the past 15 years.

Results

There were 57 patients with small bowel cancer, representing 0.039% of admissions and 0.059% of laparotomies. There were 37 (64.9%) men, mean age of 58 years; and 72 years for females. Out of 57 patients, 48 (84.2%) were admitted due to an emergency situation: obstruction in 21 (38.9%), perforation in 17 (31.5%), upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 8 (14.8%), and lower gastrointestinal bleeding in 2 (3.7%). There were 10 (17.5%) duodenal tumors, 21 (36.8%) jejunal tumors and 26 (45.6%) ileal tumors. The most frequent neoplasms were gastrointestinal stromal tumor in 24 patients (42.1%), adenocarcinoma in 19 (33.3%), lymphoma in 8 (14%), and carcinoids in 2 (3.5%). The prevalence of duodenal adenocarcinoma was 14.55 times greater than that of the small bowel, and the prevalence of duodenal stromal tumors was 1.818 time greater than that of the small bowel. Obstruction was the complication in adenocarcinoma in 57.9% of cases, and perforation was the major local complication (47.8%) in stromal tumors.

Conclusion

Primary small bowel cancers are usually diagnosed at advanced stages, and revealed by a local complication of the tumor. Their surgical management in emergency setting is associated to significant morbidity and mortality rates.

Duodenal Adenocarcinoma: Profile and Predictors of Survival Outcomes

Duodenal adenocarcinoma is rare. We aimed to evaluate survival outcome and prognostic factors for survival in patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma in recent years, marked by advancement in chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers. All patients treated for duodenal adenocarcinoma at our institution between January 2000 and July 2013 were reviewed. Thirty-nine patients were identified: 27 operative patients [21(53.8%) curative and 6 (15.4%) palliative operations] and 12 nonoperative patients [primary systemic chemotherapy, 4 (10.3%), palliative radiotherapy, 1 (2.6%), and no treatment, 7 (17.9%)]. Curative resections included 13 pancreaticoduodenectomies and eight segmental resections. Median overall survival (OS) for entire cohort was 14.4 months. Median OS and one-, three-, and five-year OS were operative group (41.4 months; 79.1%, 50.6%, and 10.6%, respectively); nonoperative group (7.4 months; 25.0%, 8.3%, and 0%, respectively); curative surgery (45.4 months; 92.9%, 62.5%, and 16.7%, respectively) and palliative surgery (5.4 months; 33.3%, 16.7%, and 0%, respectively). Female gender ( P = 0.04), curative resection ( P = 0.03), nodal metastasis ( P = 0.047) and advanced T stage ( P = 0.047) were predictive of OS. Two factors were independently predictive of OS—female gender and curative resection. Overall survival still hinges on curative resection. This favors early detection. Adjuvant treatment modalities such as chemotherapy and radiation require further investigation.

Biochemical Diagnosis and Preoperative Imaging of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors are a group of neoplasms that can arise in a variety of locations throughout the body and often metastasize early. A patient's only chance for cure is surgical removal of the primary tumor and all associated metastases, although even when surgical cure is unlikely, patients can benefit from surgical debulking. A thorough preoperative workup will often require multiple clinical tests and imaging studies to locate the primary tumor, delineate the extent of the disease, and assess tumor functionality. This review discusses the biomarkers important for the diagnosis of these tumors and the imaging modalities needed.

Usefulness of Ultrasonography for Diagnosis of Small Bowel Tumors: A Comparison Between Ultrasonography and Endoscopic Modalities

Ultrasonography is a standard, noninvasive modality used to evaluate patients with gastrointestinal diseases. This study assessed the usefulness of ultrasonography in the detection of small bowel tumors. This study enrolled 558 consecutive patients (295 males, 263 females; mean age 71.1 years) who underwent ultrasonography before capsule endoscopy and/or balloon-assisted endoscopy. Ultrasonographic detection of small bowel tumors was compared with detection by capsule endoscopy and/or balloon-assisted endoscopy. In addition, factors affecting small bowel tumor detection by ultrasonography and clinical characteristics of patients with small bowel tumors undetected by ultrasonography were evaluated. Ninety-seven tumors (52 benign, 45 malignant) detected by capsule endoscopy and/or balloon-assisted endoscopy were retrospectively analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in the detection of small bowel tumors were 50.5% (47/93) and 100% (465/465), respectively. If we restricted patients to those with a tumor >20 mm in size, its detection ratio would become higher (91.7%): the ratio of submucosal tumor >20 mm in size was 85.7% (6/7) and that of partial and circumferential ulcerative tumors >20 mm in size was 96.9% (31/32), respectively. Small bowel tumors detected by ultrasonography (mean 33.2 mm) were significantly larger than those undetected by ultrasonography (mean 8.7 mm). The percentage of small bowel tumors located in the ileum detected by ultrasonography (70.6%) was significantly higher than those undetected by ultrasonography (29.4%). Of the 46 small bowel tumors undetected by ultrasonography, 42 (91.3%) were benign tumors with good clinical prognosis. Ultrasonography is a useful modality for detecting larger small bowel tumors and ulcerative lesions. Ultrasonography should be considered a first-line modality for patients suspected of having small bowel tumors, because most small bowel tumors undetected by ultrasonography were benign tumors with good clinical prognosis.

Survival for oesophageal, stomach and small intestine cancers in Europe 1999-2007: Results from EUROCARE-5

BACKGROUND

European regional variation in cancer survival was reported in the EUROCARE-4 study for patients diagnosed in 1995-1999. Relative survival (RS) estimates are here updated for patients diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, stomach and small intestine from 2000 to 2007. Trends in RS from 1999-2001 to 2005-2007 are presented to monitor and discuss improvements in patient survival in Europe.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

EUROCARE-5 data from 29 countries (87 cancer registries) were used to investigate 1- and 5-year RS. Using registry-specific life-tables stratified by age, gender and calendar year, age-standardised 'complete analysis' RS estimates by country and region were calculated for Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central Europe, and for Ireland and United Kingdom (UK). Survival trends of patients in periods 1999-2001, 2002-2004 and 2005-2007 were investigated using the 'period' RS approach. We computed the 5-year RS conditional on surviving the first year (5-year conditional survival), as the ratio of age-standardised 5-year RS to 1-year RS.

RESULTS

Oesophageal cancer 1- and 5-year RS (40% and 12%, respectively) remained poor in Europe. Patient survival was worst in Eastern (8%), Northern (11%) and Southern Europe (10%). Europe-wide, there was a 3% improvement in oesophageal cancer 5-year survival by 2005-2007, with Ireland and the UK (3%), and Central Europe (4%) showing large improvements. Europe-wide, stomach cancer 5-year RS was 25%. Ireland and UK (17%) and Eastern Europe (19%) had the poorest 5-year patient survival. Southern Europe had the best 5-year survival (30%), though only showing an improvement of 2% by 2005-2007. Small intestine cancer 5-year RS for Europe was 48%, with Central Europe having the best (54%), and Ireland and UK the poorest (37%). Five-year patient survival improvement for Europe was 8% by 2005-2007, with Central, Southern and Eastern Europe showing the greatest increases (⩾9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Survival for these cancer sites, particularly oesophageal cancer, remains poor in Europe with wide variation. Further investigation into the wide variation, including analysis by histology and anatomical sub-site, will yield insights to better monitor and explain the improvements in survival observed over time.

Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Duodenal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Duodenal adenocarcinoma is a rare malignancy and carries a poor prognosis. The role of adjuvant therapy and the optimal chemotherapy regimen remain largely unclear. Treatment with trastuzumab results in prolonged survival in gastroesophageal cancer if human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed or amplified in tumor cells. However, unlike gastric adenocarcinomas, duodenal cancers seem to rarely harbor HER2 amplification or overexpression. We report the case of a patient with HER2-positive stage III duodenal adenocarcinoma who has received adjuvant chemotherapy including trastuzumab.

Small bowel sarcoma: Tumor biology and advances in therapeutics

Spindle cell neoplasms are rare mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. GIST (Gastrointestinal stromal tumor) and leiomyosarcoma share similar clinical presentations, gross and microscopic characteristics making distinction difficult in the absence of immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. A multidisciplinary approach is required for treatment planning and ensuring best outcomes. Surgery remains the mainstay of curative treatment for both tumors. Significant advances in targeted molecular therapies have occurred in the past decade in the treatment of GIST with improvement in morbidity and mortality. Similar newer discoveries for treatment of leiomyosarcoma have failed to show any significant survival benefits as yet. Early diagnosis and R0 surgical resection offers the best long term outcome for leiomyosarcoma. Here in we review and discuss the concepts of genetic alterations, newer markers, possible cancer pathways and advances in treatment strategies for these sarcomas.

Adenocarcinoma of the third and fourth portions of the duodenum: The capsule endoscopy value

Primary adenocarcinoma of the small intestine occurs in over 50% of cases in the duodenum. However, its location in the third and fourth duodenal portions occurs rarely and is a diagnostic challenge. The aim of this work is to report an adenocarcinoma of the third and fourth duodenal portions, emphasizing its diagnostic difficulty and the value of video capsule endoscopy. A man, 40 years old, with no medical history, with abdominal discomfort and progressive fatigue, presented four months ago with one episode of moderate melena. The physical examination was normal, except for mucosal pallor. Blood tests were consistent with microcytic, hypochromic iron deficiency anemia with 7.8 g/dL hemoglobin. The upper and lower endoscopy were normal. Additional work-up with video capsule endoscopy showed a polypoid lesion involving the third and fourth portions of the duodenum. Biopsy showed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Abdominal computed tomography showed a wall thickening from the third duodenal portion to the proximal jejunum, without distant metastasis. The patient underwent segmental resection (distal duodenum and proximal jejunum) with duodenojejunostomy. The surgical specimen histology confirmed the biopsy diagnosis, with transmural infiltration, without nodal involvement. Conclusion: Adenocarcinoma of the third and fourth portions of the duodenum is difficult to diagnose and capsule endoscopy is of great value.

A Patient with Duodenal Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Presenting as a Laterally Spreading Tumor

Primary duodenal carcinoma is rare. Duodenal mucinous adenocarcinoma (DMA) is even rarer, and its associated manifestations and typical endoscopic or imaging findings are not well characterized. Herein, we report a case of primary DMA in an asymptomatic 58-year-old man who visited our hospital for a regular health screening. Upper endoscopy revealed an approximately 4-cm lesion in the second portion of the duodenum, but the mass was not visualized on computed tomography. Biopsies revealed a tubular adenoma that was subsequently resected. Frozen biopsies demonstrated DMA with a background of low-grade tubular adenoma for which we performed Roux-en-Y duodenojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with DMA in Korea.

S-1 treatment leading to complete remission of advanced duodenal adenocarcinoma: A case report

Primary duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA) is a rare malignant neoplasm, accounting for 1% of all gastrointestinal tract carcinomas. This is the case report of a 40-year-old male patient with a duodenal lesion detected on abdominal magnetic resonance imaging and diagnosed by endoscopy and biopsy as DA. Following surgical resection and histopathological examination, the tumor was confirmed as differentiated duodenal neuroendocrine carcinoma with liver metastasis (TxNxM1). The patient received 8 cycles of palliative chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and S-1 and achieved a clinically complete response, with a treatment-related toxicity profile that was considered as tolerable. Therefore, this regimen exhibited favorable efficacy and a tolerable toxicity profile for the treatment of DA in this case.