2018 Volume 51 Issue 4 Pages 301-307
A 72-year-old man given a diagnosis of polycythemia vera (PV) had a high C-reactive protein level of 7.56 mg/dl on a regular blood examination. We diagnosed ascending colon cancer with intestinal obstruction and performed emergency surgery. He had pancytopenia and infection in his postoperative course and unfortunately died due to systemic hemorrhage and multiple organ failure 37 days postoperatively in spite of thorough treatment. PV is an idiopathic malignancy with an increase in hematopoietic stem cells, often resulted in thrombosis and bleeding after surgery. PV has been reported to have chronic low-grade disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Emergency surgery in a patient with PV is associated with high risk of mortality and DIC. Therefore, we should carefully select optimal surgical procedures and control coagulation disorders.
