Primary adenocarcinoma of the jejunum

Experience with primary adenocarcinoma of the jejunum at the Union Memorial Hospital is reviewed. Six patients treated from 1968 to 1986 with this interesting but rare tumor were identified. Although symptoms appeared to be of long duration, all patients were diagnosed with advanced disease, with only one patient surviving long-term. Data on primary jejunal adenocarcinoma reported in the medical literature were reviewed. The survival figures appear to correlate with stage at presentation, and therefore early and aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic intervention seems indicated to improve the outlook in these patients with historically poor survival rates.