[Treatment and outcome in small bowel cancer]

In adenocarcinoma of the small intestine, delays in diagnosis are frequent, and the majority of patients present with advanced- stage disease and either lymph node involvement or distant metastatic disease. Surgical resection is a mainstay in treatment of this disease, but the role of adjuvant therapy is unclear. Recent retrospective and prospective studies have helped to clarify the optimal chemotherapy approach for advanced small bowel adenocarcinoma. The combination of capecitabine and oxaliplatin is reportedly highly effective. Further clinical studies on this rare type of tumor are needed. This article reviews the focuses on recent advances in management. The 72nd Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum have conducted a retrospective review of Japanese patients with adenocarcinoma of the jejunum or ileum. The data indicated that although not statistically significant, there was a trend in median overall survival favoring the chemotherapy for advanced jejunal or ileal adenocarcinoma (17 months vs. 8 months, p=0.114).