ABSTRACT
Despite accounting for 90% of the surface area of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) tumors of the small bowel are rare, contributing in the order of 3% of all GIT neoplasms. True benign tumors including hamartomas, hyperplastic and inflammatory polyps account for approximately 20% of lesions; tumors with malignant potential such as adenomatous polyps, gastrointestinal stromal tumors and non-malignant carcinoids amount to 30% of the total, leaving 50% of small bowel tumors which are considered malignant at presentation. In the past, patients were rarely diagnosed preoperatively but advances in imaging techniques have opened up opportunities for less invasive and more accurate diagnosis and staging. Taken alongside a better organized and aggressive approach to multimodality treatment a more optimistic outcome for patients with small bowel tumors is anticipated.
