Primary tumors of jejunum and ileum as a cause of intestinal obstruction: a case control study

Abstract

Background: Small-bowel tumors are rare and account for 1-2% of all gastrointestinal neoplasms. Most of these tumors are found at surgery indicated for other diagnosis or intestinal obstruction. The rarity, unclear presentation and diagnostic difficulty of these tumors stimulated our interest to review our experience with emergency surgery for intestinal obstruction secondary to jejunoileal tumors.

Methods: We reviewed 17 patients operated on for intestinal obstruction secondary to benign and malignant primary tumors of jejunum and ileum at our institution the last 10 years.

Results: The series comprised 8 male and 9 female patients, most of them younger than 49 years of age. The most frequent tumors found were GIST (36%) followed by lymphomas (24%) and adenocarcinomas (18%). Most tumors (65%) were located in the ileum. Mean survival for patients with malignant tumors was 19.5+/-13 months, and for patients with benign tumors 72+/-20 months (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Jejunoileal tumors present frequently in patients younger than 49 years of age. Ileal tumors are more likely to develop intestinal obstruction than jejunal tumors. Emergency surgery for these patients precludes a complete and negative margin resection and constitutes a risk factor for residual disease and short-term survival.