Primary Adenocarcinoma of the Jejunum in Pregnancy

Abstract

A 29-year-old white woman at 32 weeks of gestation was diagnosed as having recurrent small bowel obstruction by an upper gastrointestinal radiographic series. At exploratory laparotomy a primary adenocarcinoma of the jejunum was resected. Primary small bowel malignant tumors are rare and generally occur late in life. These lesions are difficult to diagnose and commonly discovered only late in their clinical course. The possibility of such tumors should be considered in the differential diagnosis when recurrent abdominal pain accompanied by other signs and symptoms of small bowel obstruction is encountered during pregnancy.

Key Words:

• Small bowel cancer
• Bowel obstruction during pregnancy
• Acute abdomen during pregnancy