Rare Isolated Duodenal Hamartomatous Polyp in an Elderly Patient

BACKGROUND Hamartomatous polyps represent rare sporadic lesions, characterized by fibrous stroma, vascular infiltration, and dilation of mucous glands. The lesions present in a bimodal fashion in adults as well as children from 1 to 7 years old, and are often diagnosed during endoscopic procedures. Specifically, solitary Peutz-Jeghers represents a type of hamartoma that has similar histologic features to typical Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Hamartomatous polyps represent disorganized tissue growth and can bear relationships with genetic syndromes classified as hamartomatous polyposis syndromes. A number of these syndromes, such as Peutz-Jeghers and Cowden syndrome, can demonstrate an increased risk of malignancy. A variety of symptoms, or no symptoms at all, can accompany these polyps, such as abdominal discomfort, bowel obstruction, gastrointestinal bleeding, or intussusception in severe cases. Histologically, these polyps appear similar to Peutz-Jeghers syndrome growths; however, they lack extraintestinal manifestations. Given fairly low risk of development into malignancy, patients have a good prognosis if presenting with a solitary hamartomatous polyp. There is limited data regarding screening guidelines for this patient population. CASE REPORT Here, we present a rare case of a 73-year-old woman who had a history of anemia and status post endoscopic evaluation and was diagnosed with a benign hamartomatous polyp (juvenile-like), histologically consistent with tubulovillous adenoma. CONCLUSIONS Differentiating sporadic polyps from syndromic polyps is important, as sporadic polyps have a benign course, while those associated with a syndrome have an increased lifetime malignancy risk.