Editing Small bowel mass (section)

== '''Presentation''' ==

* '''Can't reliably differentiate between benign and malignant based on clinical presentation alone'''
* Malignant neoplasms account for 75% of symptomatic lesions that lead to surgery
* Majority of symptomatic lesions are malignant
** 94% of malignant lesions were symptomatic in one series, vs 53% of benign tumours
** Malignant lesions present with abdominal pain more commonly than bleed - bleeding is more commonly related to benign tumours
* Most benign lesions are asymptomatic
* Often vague
** Pain (44-90%)
*** (most often related to partial obstruction), 
** Nausea/vomiting (17-64%)
** Weight loss (24-44%) - mostly associated with malignant tumours
** GIT bleeding (23-41%)
* Obstruction is usually secondary to intussusception
** Benign small tumours are the most common cause of this in adults
* Estimated that 10% of occult GI bleeds are secondary to small bowel tumours, but life-threatening haemorrhage is uncommon