title: Silent colon carcinoma presenting as a hepatic abscess.
abstract: Penetration and abscess formation in an adjacent parenchymal organ as presentation of a colon cancer is very uncommon. We report a rare case of pyogenic liver abscess as the first manifestation of an infiltrative and penetrating hepatic flexure colon carcinoma without liver metastases. A 50-year-old woman was admitted with right abdominal pain, fever and chills. The initial diagnosis was a pyogenic liver abscess. Subsequent CT scan and colonoscopy evidenced a hepatic flexure colon cancer abscessed within segment 6 of the liver. Eight months after a right colectomy and liver resection there was no evidence of disease. The occurrence of a pyogenic liver abscess should raise the suspicion of a silent colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery Pietro Valdoni, Policlinico Umberto I, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giuliani
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caporale
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demoro
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scimò
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galati
authors.forename: Gaspare
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galati
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008100:Liver Abscess / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed