Inflammatory fibroid polyp of the gastrointestinal tract: 10 years of experience at the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán.

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory fibroid polyp (lFP) is a rare, benign, and solitary neoplasm predominantly located in the gastric antrum and small bowel. Its clinical symptoms are heterogeneous and essentially depend on the location and size of the tumor. Definitive diagnosis is made through histopathology and this pathology has excellent long-term prognosis.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the cases of IFP seen at the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán over a 10-year period.

METHODS

A retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study was conducted that included patients with histopathologic diagnosis of IFP within the time frame of January 2001 and December 2011.

RESULTS

Six cases were found and 5/6 (83.3%) of them were women. The median age was 41 years (minimum-maximum range of 19-56 years). The most frequent symptoms were weight loss (n=3), fever (n=2), nausea (n=2), and vomiting (n=2). Three patients presented with iron deficiency anemia and 2 cases with intussusception. The IFPs were located at the following sites: esophagus (n=1), stomach (n=2), small bowel (n=2), and colon (n=1). Treatment was surgical in 5/6 (83.3%) of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

IFPs are extremely rare in our population. They usually present with weight loss and iron deficiency anemia and are more frequently located in the stomach and small bowel. This is the largest reported IFP case series in a Mexican population.