Objective To improve the diagnosis and treatment of primary adenocarcinoma of the duodenum. MethodsLiteratures were reviewed.ResultsThe morbidity of primary duodenal adenocarcinoma was low and its clinical manifestation had no characteristics.The most effective methods in the diagnosis of the disease were gastrointestinal radiography and endoscopy with the accuracy of 88% and 89% respectively.The disease could be cured by resection of the lesion. The selection of operative type depended on the stage and position of the tumor.Radical resection and tumor stage played an important role in the prognosis.Conclusion Early diagnosis and rational operation are the major ways to improve the resectability and to modify the therapeutic result.