An Unusual Presentation of a Carcinoid Tumor of the Common Bile Duct

Ashif Jethava; Visvanathan Muralidharan; Thalia Mesologites; Elena Stoica-Mustafa; Constantin A Dasanu

doi:10.6092/1590-8577/1232

Ashif Jethava Department of Hospital Medicine, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Hartford, CT, USA
Visvanathan Muralidharan Department of Gastroenterology, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Hartford, CT, USA
Thalia Mesologites Department of Pathology, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Hartford, CT, USA
Elena Stoica-Mustafa Department of Pathology, Fundeni Clinical Institute. Bucharest, Romania
Constantin A Dasanu Department of Hematology-Oncology, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Hartford, CT, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6092/1590-8577/1232

Keywords: Carcinoid Tumor, Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde, Common Bile Duct, Neuroendocrine Tumors, Pancreatitis

Abstract

Context Carcinoid tumors arising from the bile ducts account for only a small fraction of biliary tract cancers. Case report We report herein a 42-year-old man with a carcinoid tumor of the common bile duct. He presented with abdominal pain, bloating and dyspepsia. Clinicolaboratory and imaging studies suggested a probable obstructive common bile duct lesion. The patient underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with a stent placement in view of common bile duct decompression. Persistence of symptoms prompted a laparotomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy that revealed a well-differentiated carcinoid tumor originating in the common bile duct. Conclusion Clinician’s familiarity with the unusual sites of origin of neuroendocrine tumors and/or atypical presentation of such tumors may facilitate their early recognition and allow for a timely intervention.

Image: Nodular mass in the common bile duct lumen.

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Author Biography

Constantin A Dasanu, Department of Hematology-Oncology, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Hartford, CT, USA

Department of Hematology-Oncology, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT, USA

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