A Case of the Carcinoma of the Small Intestine

Abstract

Primary carcinoma of the small intestine is less common than carcinoma of other parts of the digestive tract. It is difficult to diagnose this condition even now, when diagnostic techniques for lesions of the digestive tract are highly advanced. Many cases are diagnosed after laparotomy on the basis of a diagnosis of ileus or acute abdomen.We have recently experienced a patient with primary carcinoma of the small intestine, and we report this case with reference to the literature. The patient, a 65-year-old woman, had a past history of surgery for acute appendicitis.She had a tendency toward constipation, occasionally leading to abdominal pain, which was relieved by evacuation. She had not undergone evacuation for two days before her visit to our hospital, and she presented with marked hypogastric pain and abdominal swelling. Although the symptoms were tentatively improved by consevative treatment on an inpatient basis, symptoms of ileus reappeared, leading to surgery. Surgery revealed circumscribed stenosis due to tumor in the ileum on the oral side 10cm from the ileocecal valve. Histopathological examination of the excised specimen revealed that the lesion was well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.