Small bowel metastases from head and neck cancers

• Published in: Annales de chirurgie Vol. 129; no. 8; p. 422
• Main Authors: Guillem, P, Brygo, A, Assila, C, Dabrowski, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - secondary; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Intestinal Neoplasms - secondary; Intestine, Small; Male; Middle Aged
• ISSN: 0003-3944
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anchir.2004.04.015

Small bowel metastases represent less than 10% of malignant tumours of the small bowel. Among primitive cancers with small bowel metastases, head and neck cancers are exceptional. The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical and evolutive characteristics of patients with small bowel metastases from head and neck cancers. Analyse of a reported case and bibliographic study by asking the Medline database and gathering anamnestic, clinical and evolutive data from observations of small bowel metastases from head and neck cancers. We report the case of a 63 years-old male patient with a small bowel metastasis from a head and neck cancer. Nine other observations have been published in the international literature. Analysis of this 10 patient-series shows that small bowel metastases of head and neck cancers occur rather in old male patients (mean age: 71 years). They are usually discovered after primitive cancer diagnosis, always because of occlusive, perforative or bleeding complications. Jejunal metastases are rather complicated by perforation whereas ileal ones rather induce occlusion or digestive bleeding. Discovering a small bowel metastasis in the context of head and neck cancer is highly indicative of a poor prognosis. In these 10 patients, deaths occurred within the 8 months following the diagnosis, because of postoperative complication or neoplastic evolution. Small bowel metastases from head and neck cancers usually occur as emergent complications. They are indicative of an advanced disease and the prognosis is extremely poor. The aim of the management is to afford the best quality of life as possible.