title: Colonic carcinoma presenting as an appendiceal abscess in a young woman.
abstract: A 38-year-old woman with stage T4N0M0 adenocarcinoma of the cecum presented with what seemed to be an appendiceal abscess. She had a 10-month history of intermittent abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant. Initial laparotomy revealed an abscess in that quadrant. The abscess was drained. A mass in the cecum, associated with dense fibrous tissue and abscess formation, was found on subsequent surgical exploration. Pathological examination revealed a well-differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma of the cecum with transmural invasion. The lesion had replaced most of the vermiform appendix and was associated with a periappendiceal abscess. Colonic carcinoma masquerading as acute appendicitis or an appendiceal abscess is a well-recognized entity in the elderly but may be overlooked in younger patients because malignant disease is not suspected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology*; D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D001065:Appendix; D002429:Cecal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002430:Cecal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans