Year: 2025 | Month: July | Volume: 15 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 243-250
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20250729
Rare Yet Relentless: Unusual Presentation of Jejunal Neuroendocrine Tumors - Case Reports
Dr Arppana Thomas1, Dr Akhil Rajeev2, Dr Sameer Salahuddin3, Dr Nazimudeen E4, Dr Anantha Krishnan5, Dr R Legha6, Dr Ajith Roni Damodaran7, Dr Praseeda8, Dr Merin Thomas9, Dr Ram Gopal10
1PG resident, Department of General Medicine, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
2PG resident, Department of General Medicine, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
3Consultant, Department of Oncology, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
4Senior consultant, Department of General Medicine, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
5Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
6Professor and Head, Department of General Medicine, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
7Professor, Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
8Professor and Head, Department of Pathology, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
9Senior resident, Department of Pathology, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
10Senior resident, Department of Pathology, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
Corresponding Author: Dr Arppana Thomas
ABSTRACT
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms arising from neuroendocrine cells primarily located in the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and lungs. Among gastrointestinal NETs, those originating in the jejunum are particularly uncommon. Their vague and nonspecific symptoms often delay diagnosis. Although these tumors are painless and slow growing, they have a metastatic potential, especially to the liver and lymph nodes. We report two rare and diagnostically challenging cases of jejunal NETs: one presenting as a hepatic abscess and another associated with markedly elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). These cases emphasize the necessity of considering NETs in the differential diagnosis of atypical hepatic presentations and highlight the importance of advanced imaging and histopathological evaluation.
Key words: Neuroendocrine tumor, jejunum, hepatic metastasis, alpha-fetoprotein, hepatic abscess.