Abstract
We encountered a case of right external iliac lymph node recurrence after radical resection for ascending colon cancer, which was successfully treated by surgical resection. A 66-year-old woman underwent right hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection for ascending cancer in February 2002. A 6-cm tumor was resected and found histologically to be moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with lymph node metastasis along the marginal colic artery. The tumor stage was IIIa. In January 2003, a pelvic CT scan delineated a 3-cm mass on the abdominal side of the right external iliac vessels. The diagnosis was isolated right external iliac lymph node recurrence from primary ascending colon cancer. No other recurrent lesions were found, and en bloc resection with external iliac vein was performed. The cross-section of the resected specimen showed a smooth margin. Histological findings confirmed lymph node recurrence of ascending colon cancer. Nine years and nine months after the operation, the patient is recurrence free. This recurrence was extremely rare, and more case reports are needed to determine the mechanism behind these metastases.
