[Metachronus splenic metastasis of colon cancer. A case report].
Colon cancer metastases rarely involve the spleen; in the literature only 29 cases of isolated splenic metastasis of colon cancer are reported (9 in the English literature and 29 in the Japanese literature). In this paper, a further case of isolated splenic metastasis in a 73 year- old woman, treated six years before with left emicolectomy for a mucinous colon cancer (Dukes B) is reported. A survey of the English literature shows that most of the cases had a significant period between the first original resection and the diagnosis of spleen metastasis (2-11 years). Splenectomy was performed in all the cases reported. No long-term follow-up has been published; therefore, it is not possible to define if spleen metastases of colon cancer have a better clinical behaviour than hepatic metastases and if splenectomy can prevent metastatic spreading of the disease leading to a potential survival benefit.
Genna
M
M
I Divisione di Chirurgia Clinicizzata, Università degli Studi di Verona, Ospedale Civile Maggiore, Verona, Italy.
Leopardi
F
F
Valloncini
E
E
Molfetta
M
M
De Manzoni
G
G
Castelli
A
A
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary*; D000368:Aged; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013160:Splenic Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*