Introduction:

Primary carcinoma of the duodenum is an infrequent malignancy; it represents 0.3-0.5% of all carcinomas of the GI tract and 33-45% of all carcinomas of the small intestine.

Clinical case:

A 57-year-old female patient with nonspecific GI symptoms and unintentional weight loss was diagnosed with diffuse, infiltrating, and ulcerated adenocarcinoma in the duodenum. Surgical management with duodenopancreatectomy was considered; however, it could not be performed due to deteriorating nutritional status. She later died due to abdominal sepsis.

Conclusion:

The clinical manifestations of adenocarcinoma of the duodenum are variable and nonspecific. It is a challenge to make an early diagnosis. We recommend considering the diagnostic possibility in patients with nausea, emesis, abdominal pain, and weight loss, which requires esophagogastroduodenoscopy and histological and immunohistochemical confirmation.

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