Small bowel adenocarcinoma in a Crohn's disease patient presenting as small bowel ob-struction: a case report

Background: Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare but dreaded complication of Crohn's disease with a poor prognosis. The evidence has concluded that it is difficult to dif-ferentiate between SBA and benign strictures. Intraoperative and pathological diagnosis is the mainstay of treatment. Case presentation: The current case involves a 40-year-old male with a 12-year history of Crohn's disease who presented with symptoms of small bowel obstruc-tion, which were confirmed by an abdominal C.T. scan. An exploratory laparotomy revealed a stricture, which raised the possibility of malignant disease. Histology revealed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: The rarity of small bowel adenocarcinoma in Crohn's disease patients necessitates a high index of suspicion in patients presenting with fea-tures of small bowel obstruction or strictures.