Malignant tumors of the intestine: a review of 37 cases.

Malignant tumors of the small bowel are rare but carry a grave prognosis. Thirty-seven cases from the Tumor Registries of Brooke Army Medical Center. Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, were retrospectively studied. Twenty-nine males and eight females ranging from five to 86 years were included in the combined series. Thirteen carcinoid tumors, eight adenocarcinomas, seven lymphosarcomas, five leiomyosarcomas, two reticulum cell sarcomas, one liposarcoma, and one mesenchymal cell sarcoma were found. Symptoms included intermittent crampy abdominal pain, intestinal obstruction, intestinal bleeding with anemia, and weight loss. The diagnosis was made on the basis of the clinical picture in addition to physical findings and pertinent x-ray contrast studies. The overall survival rate was 25%. The treatment of choice is surgical extirpation of the tumor whenever possible followed by appropriate adjunctive modalities.