An Adenocarcinoma of the Appendix which was Difficult to Distinguish Preoperatively from Acute Appendicitis with an Abdominal Abscess

A Case Report and Review of Thirteen Cases of Primary Carcinoma of the Appendix from Our Hospital Facilites

Abstract

We report a case of primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix difficult to distinguish from acute appendicitis. A 56-year-old woman with lower right quadrant abdominal pain was diagnosed preoperatively with acute appendicitis with abdominal abscess by ultrasound and computed tomography. Following appendectomy, pathological examination showed adenocarcinoma of the appendix. Ileocecal resection with regional lymph node dissection and removal of the abscess wall was conducted two weeks after the first operation. In addition to the case presented, we review the Japanese literature, i.e. 255 cases with adenocarcinoma of the appendix from 1995 to 2004, including 13 cases of our own.