Objective To explore the diagnosis and surgical treatment of primary intestinal tumors (PIT), to improve the diagnosis and treatment. Methods Retrospectively analysis was made on the clinical data of 72 patients with PITs admitted to our hospital from 1988 to 2002. Results Out of the 72 cases, 20.8% (15/72) had benign tumors, while the remaining 79.2% (57/72) were malignancies. The former were mostly adenoma and liomyoma, each accounting for 40.0% (6/15) of the benign tumors. Adenocarcinoma was the most common type of malignancy (36.8%,21/57), following lymphadenoma (30.0%, 17/57). The main diagnostic methods were X-ray,B-ultrasonic,CT, endoscopy and superior mesenteric arteriography.The misdingnosis rate was 62.5% before operation in this series.Of the 72 cases underwent operation,25 underwent emergent operation (33.3%, 25/72), because acute intestinal obstruction, digestive tract bleeding or perforation,acute appendicitis were diagnosed before the operation.In this series,there was no operative death;the 1,3,5 year survial rates of malignance were 62.5%,47.5%,25.0%,respectively. Conclusions PIT is not easily diagnosed before operation, and the misdiagnosis rate and emergent operation rate are high. Superior mesenteric arteriography,radiologic contrast examination of the small bowel are the important means of diagnosis in jejunum or ileum tumour, and the best way to diagnosis duodenal neoplasms is hypotonic duodenography and endoscopy. Once the diagnosis of PIT is made, the best choice of treatment is operation.