Abstract
A 57-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for thorough examination of anemia and a positive fecal occult blood test. Colonoscopy revealed a type 1 tumor of the descending colon. A biopsy led to a diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. There were no obvious abnormalities suggestive of metastasis in thoracoabdominal computed tomography. We performed partial resection of the descending colon with D2 lymphadenectomy with the diagnosis of carcinoma of the descending colon. Immunohistochemistry showed positive reaction for α-fetoprotein (AFP), and the final diagnosis of AFP producing carcinoma of the descending colon was made.
The serum AFP level was as high as 176.1ng/ml in one month after the operation, but thereafter it decreased to the normal range. The patient survives without recurrence as of 4 years and 4 months after the operation.
Although AFP producing colon cancer is relatively rare, it is reported that the potential for liver metastasis is high and the prognosis is very poor. We report a rare case of a patient with AFP-producing carcinoma of the descending colon who has achieved long term recurrence-free postoperative survival, together with a review of the literature.
