Primary Adenocarcinoma of the Jejunum: Case Report of Rare Small Bowel Neoplasm

Abstract

Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is rare cancer that accounts for less than 2% of all gastrointestinal tract cancers. Usually, the clinical presentation is unspecific, and a patient might complain of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, small bowel obstruction, and small bowel bleeding. Because of these unspecific symptoms, the patient might be diagnosed late, from six to ten months, which affects the prognosis. This study contains a case report of a 38-year female with SBA in the jejunum, with unspecific symptoms. She had a history of recurrent admissions due to acute pancreatitis, acute kidney injury, and hyponatremia caused by dehydration. The patient was diagnosed six months after the first symptoms of nausea and vomiting started. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy for a jejunal stricture mass, and a lymph node was resected. The course after surgery was smooth, and the patient was discharged home on the fourth-day post-surgery. In conclusion, the symptoms of SBA are unspecific and cannot be diagnosed without complete medical histories and lab examinations, making diagnosing SBA challenging.