Sporadic duodenal adenomas are uncommon in comparison to other gastro-intestinal adenomas and often an incidental finding in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Recent studies indicate an increasing incidence of these lesions.

A retrospective review of upper endoscopies performed over the past 10 years was conducted to identify cases of duodenal adenomas. Patients with polyposis syndromes and ampullary adenomas were excluded, resulting in a sample of 41 patients with sporadic duodenal adenomas. In addition, a control group of 41 randomly selected individuals from the same 10-year span, matched by age and gender, was used for comparison. Potential risk factors for duodenal adenomas were collected.

The prevalence of duodenal adenomas was 0.22%. The mean age of affected individuals was 69 years, out of which 24 were males. Most of the adenomas were endoscopically removed (68.3%), three patients had recurrent adenomas and one progressed into adenocarcinoma. A significant association was observed between smoking and the presence of duodenal adenomas (p = 0.037). Family history of gastrointestinal neoplasia was related to the occurrence of duodenal adenomas (p = 0.043). In addition, in comparison to the control group, the duodenal adenoma group had a significantly higher number of affected family members with gastrointestinal neoplasia (p = 0.001). Furthermore, the duodenal adenoma group had a significantly higher number of colorectal adenomas compared to the control group (p < 0.001). No statistically significant associations or differences to the control group were found amongst other variables.

Although sporadic duodenal adenomas are rare, their potential for recurrence and progression to adenocarcinoma warrants careful surveillance. Smoking and family history of gastrointestinal neoplasia appear to be potential risk factors for sporadic duodenal adenomas. Additionally, the higher prevalence of colorectal adenomas in these patients highlights the importance of colorectal cancer screening in this population.