What is Small Intestine Cancer?

Although rare, the small intestine tumour incidence is increasing with a slight male predominance. The median age at diagnosis is the 6th decade. The most frequent primary location is the duodenum. There is no clearly identified environmental risk factor, but adenocarcinomas of the small intestine are associated in almost 20% of cases with predisposing diseases (Crohn’s disease, Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis, Peutz–Jeghers syndrome and celiac disease).

Although the small bowel represents 75% of the length of the digestive tract and 90% of its mucosal surface, cancers of the small bowel remain rare and represent around 3% of digestive cancers.
Four main histologic types are present in the small bowel: adenocarcinomas, neuroendocrine tumours, stromal tumours and lymphomas (Lamprecht & Fich, 2016).