A case of descending colon cancer with a liver abscess

Abstract

We report a case of descending colon cancer with a liver abscess. A 61-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of high grade fever lasting for 2 weeks. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a solitary liver abscess (4 cm in diameter) in the left lobe of the liver. She was admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of liver abscess, and was administered antibiotics. Although inflammatory reaction subsided in 14 days, an enhanced computed tomography showed a 4-cm irregulaly enhanced thickening wall of the descending colon. Colonoscopy revealed a type 2 tumor completely encircled the descending colon that had caused stenosis. We expected decompression with an ileus tube inserted by the transanal route, but she showed an obstructive ileus condition, and went into septic shock two days later. Hartmann's procedure was emergently perfomed. The pathological findings were tub1, se, n1, and final stage IIIa. The patient has been free from liver metastasis and liver abscess 4 years after the operation. In conclusion, a pyogenic liver abscess can be caused by colon cancer though it is rare, so we must the lower gastrointestinal tract to detect causes of liver abscess.