A Case of Cecal Cancer with Large Abdominal Wall Abscess

Hirotoshi Kobayashi, Masayuki Enomoto, Tetsuro Higuchi, Masamichi Yasuno, Hiroyuki Uetake, Satoru Iida, Toshiaki Ishikawa, Megumi Ishiguro and Kenichi Sugihara

Department of Surgical Oncology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University

We report a case of cecal cancer with a large abdominal wall abscess communicating with the colon at several uncancerous sites. A 74-year-old man with appetite loss and abdominal pain to have a very large abdominal wall abscess and cecal wall thickening was found in computed tomography (CT), yielding a diagnosis of abdominal wall abscess due to cecal cancer. After abscess drainage and general improvement in the man's condition, we conducted right hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection but left the abdominal wall abscess as is due to its size. Pathologic findings indicated moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the cecum (pT4, pN2, sH0, sP0, sM0, fStage IIIb). In abdominal wall treatment, colon cancer should be considered as a potential underlying cause. CT is very useful in diagnosing abdominal wall abscess due to colon cancer. Cytology at abscess drainage, however, appears to be unreliable.

Key words
colon cancer, abdominal wall abscess

Reprint requests
Hirotoshi Kobayashi Department of Surgical Oncology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University
1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8519 JAPAN

Accepted
February 18, 2009

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