Management of Small Bowel Tumors

Small bowel malignancies are uncommon yet they often come to the attention of abdominal surgeons as an incidental finding intraoperatively or radiographically. Accordingly, a working understanding of their differential diagnosis and management is expected of general surgeons. The differential of primary small bowel tumors includes benign entities as well as pre-malignant and malignant tumors that warrant surgical management. Unfortunately, the rarity or these tumors precludes detailed evidence-based guidelines and algorithms. In this chapter we present an overview of the differential, diagnostic modalities, and approach to management that is practical and has stood the test of time as it has remained largely unchanged over the last 20 years.