[Malignant carcinoid of the last ileal ansa. Report on 2 consecutive clinical cases]

Carcinoid tumors are very rare neoplasms, arising from enterochromaffin cells, classified in Apud system, exhibiting an intermediate malignancy, because of their long lasting clinical silence and low evolution to advanced stage. At the same time, these features unfortunately cause a high incidence of lymphatic and liver metastases, visible at first diagnostic approach, which are also determined by aspecific symptoms and signs, especially involving jejunal and ileal carcinoids, as the two cases described, and by very frequent absence, in current clinical practice, of pathognomonic carcinoid syndrome. Two carcinoids located into the distal ileal ansa, strictly adjacent to the ileocecal valve, are reported; the first tumor, accompanied by lymphonodal positivity, the second by a solitary hepatic metastasis, requiring segmentectomy of the liver, in addition to right hemicolectomy.