Solitary Splenic Metastasis from Colon Carcinoma

Satoshi Ohki, Shinichi Kakinuma, Teruo Kusaba, Susumu Ohwada*, Yasuo Morishita*

The Department of Surgery, Takasaki National Hospital
*The Second Department of Surgery, Gunma University School of Medicine

A case of splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma without any other organ metastases is reported. A 73-year-old man was admitted for surgery under the diagnosis of descending colon cancer associated with a splenic tumor. It was difficult to determine preoperatively whether the splenic tumor was primary or metastatic. At laparotomy there was neither liver metastasis nor peritoneal carcinosis. A left hemicolectomy associated with splenectomy and partial pancreatectomy was performed. The histological diagnosis of both the colon and splenic tumor was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Solitary metastasis to the spleen from colorectal carcinoma is rare. Only eight patients including ours have been reported in Japan. As some patients with solitary splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma survive for a long time, radical surgery is recommended for patients who have colorectal carcinoma with solitary splenic metastasis.

Key words
colon carcinoma, splenic metastasis, splenic tumor

Reprint requests
Satoshi Ohki The Second Department of Surgery, Gunma University School of Medicine
3-39-15 Shouwa-machi, Maebashi, 371 JAPAN

Accepted
September 14, 1994

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