Unexpected Finding of a Small Intestinal Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Case Report and Literature Review

Patient: Male, 70-year-old Final Diagnosis: Neuroendocrine tumor Symptoms: Abdominal pain Medication: — Clinical Procedure: CT scan • laparoscopy Specialty: Surgery OBJECTIVE: Unusual clinical course BACKGROUND: The incidence of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) has increased in recent years. They can affect every area of the human body that presents cells with a secretory function. In this report, we focus on gastrointestinal NETs. The small bowel (SI) is the most affected area and SI-NETs have recently become more common than adenocarcinomas. Inside the small intestine, the appendix suffers from this pathology more than other organs. CASE REPORT: Our case report deals with a 70 years-old man with extensive abdominal pain due to ingestion of an apricot kernel. A CT abdominal scan showed, around the kernel, a mechanical ileus with inflammation of the distal ileum and thickening of the intestinal wall. During the operation, we replaced laparoscopy with mini-laparotomy, performing an ileocecectomy due to suspicion of a tumor lesion. The histopathological exam revealed a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (NET G1) of the distal ileum. CONCLUSIONS: This case report shows that SI-NETs can be found in cases of small bowel occlusion. Depending on the size and distinction, such patients can have good survival rates.