Adenocarcinoma at a strictureplasty site in Crohn's disease

Strictureplasties have proven useful and safe in Crohn's disease. Concerns have been raised, however, about the potential of carcinoma arising at the strictureplasty site. Here the authors report a case of a small-bowel adenocarcinoma developing at the site of a prior strictureplasty in a middle-aged male patient seven years postoperatively in the absence of any other preneoplastic disease of the small bowel. Presenting symptoms were of progressive obstruction after a long period of quiescent disease. With this report comes stronger evidence that adenocarcinoma does occur at strictureplasty sites, raising questions of its long-term safety.