[Adenocarcinoma of the small intestine. Current state of diagnosis and treatment. A study of 27 cases and a review of the literature].

On the basis of 27 personal cases of adenocarcinoma of the intestine and a review of the literature, the authors discuss present-day knowledge about this pathology from both radiologic and therapeutic viewpoints. This study, which excludes papillary tumors, reveals that, on a para-clinical level, barium follow-through examinations allow correct diagnosis in 85% of cases. Arteriography does not provide any special data, and more recent techniques such as ultrasound and C.T. do not appear suited for use in initial investigations. From a therapeutic standpoint, surgery is the only effective solution, but long-term survival had not increased for forty years. This rare form of cancer, with an especially insidious clinical course, has thus not benefited from recently introduced diagnostic and therapeutic technics.