Small Cell Carcinoma of the Duodenum: A Case Report

Small cell carcinoma of the duodenum is an extremely rare disease with grave prognosis. We report a 54-year-old female who was diagnosed with small cell carcinoma in the duodenum with the initial presentation of gastrointestinal bleeding and jaundice. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) disclosed an ill-defined mass over the second part of duodenum and the histology from endoscopic biopsy demonstrated undifferentiated carcinoma. She received Whipple operation with regional lymph nodes (LNs) dissection and the pathology showed small cell carcinoma with clear surgical margins. Regional LNs were as well involved by cancer cells. Postoperative CT revealed recurrent mass at previous surgical bed. She was planned to receive salvage concurrent chemoradiation to control her disease, but treatment induced inadequate bone marrow function hindered patient to complete her full radiation course. Although CT demonstrated good salvage result, tumor enlarged again soon and the patient still died with the disease 11 months after initial diagnosis.