Carcinoma, Small Intestine

Synonyms

Adenocarcinoma; Small Intestine

Definition

Briefly, small intestinal carcinoma is the malignant epithelial tumor of the small intestine. Though the small intestine has a larger surface area and higher rate of epithelial cell turnover, epithelial neoplasms develop less frequently than the other parts of the GI tract. Small intestinal carcinomas are most commonly located in duodenum, usually around the ampulla of Vater. Although adenocarcinomas are the most common primary tumors, small intestine is the most common part of the gastrointestinal tract for involvement by secondary tumors, which are more than twice as common as the primary neoplasm. Like colorectal carcinomas, most of the small intestine carcinomas are sporadic and develop from adenomas. Risk factors for sporadic carcinoma include smoking, alcohol consumption, and fat in diet. Chronic inflammation is an important predisposing condition, including long-standing Crohn’s diseaseand gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE)....