Celiac Disease Masking Duodenal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is an uncommon gastrointestinal malignancy, with the duodenum being the most commonly affected site. This report describes a 33-year-old woman who initially presented with abdominal pain and vomiting. Initial imaging revealed abnormalities of the proximal jejunum. Endoscopic evaluation initially revealed celiac disease (CD); however, with disease progression, the patient developed bowel obstruction that led to surgical intervention with an open duodenal biopsy. The open duodenal biopsy confirmed the presence of duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA). This case demonstrates the diagnostic complexity of DA in the presence of concurrent CD due to overlapping presentations. Physicians must maintain a high suspicion of DA in the setting of progressive and difficult-to-treat CD, as early diagnosis and management of DA can significantly improve patient outcomes.
Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.
(Copyright © 2024, Salhab et al.)