Journal of Practical Oncology ›› 2022, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (6): 526-530.doi: 10.11904/j.issn.1002-3070.2022.06.007

• Immunotherapy in Gastrointestinal Cancer Special Report • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Reasons why small intestinal tunors are rare

NA Ruisi1, GUO Ying1,2, SHI Jiaqi2, ZHENG Tongsen1,2,3   

  1. 1. Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology,Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital,Harbin 150081,China;
    2. Key Laboratories of Molecular Oncology in Heilongjiang;
    3. Department of Phase 1 Trials Center,Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital
  • Received:2022-01-10 Revised:2022-08-10 Online:2022-12-28 Published:2023-01-06

Abstract: The small intestine is the longest section of the digestive tract,and it is the main place for food digestion,absorption and energy conversion.However,there are few reports on the small intestine tumors.Primary malignant tumors of the small intestine are rare in clinical practice.Due to the lack of typical clinical manifestations and effective treatment methods,the prognosis is extremely poor.The large surface area of the small intestine and the state of rapid epithelial renewal clearly contradict the low incidence of tumors.The scientific problem about the lower incidence of small tumors has become a century-old mystery that plagues the field of medical science.This review mainly analyzes the reasons for the rareness of small intestinal tumors from four aspects:the unique physiological barrier of the small intestine,gene regulatory system,commensal flora and mucosal immune system.Understanding the precise regulatory mechanism of the small intestine will provide new ideas for further studies of aging,gut microbiota,and cancer prevention and treatment.Based on previous studies and the latest research progress,this article reviews the epidemiological status of small intestine tumors,the possible reasons for the low incidence,and their implications for tumor prevention and treatment.

Key words: Small intestine, Tumor, Genetics, Microorganism, Immunity

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