Abstract
A 37-year-old female with complaints of lower abdominal pain and nausea was admitted to our hospital. An emergency operation was performed after a diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made. At laparotomy, a whitish, appendiceal tumor was found invading the cecum, and ileocecal resection was performed. The microscopic diagnosis of the tumor was mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix infiltrating the cecum. At a second look operation three days after the first operation, peritoneal calcinosis was found in the Douglas cavity but no regional lymph node metastasis was detected. Right hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection was then performed.
Preoperative diagnosis of primary carcinoma of the appendix is difficult. Thus, intraoperative rapid histological diagnosis by frozen block is necessary, in addition to preoperative examinations, including echography and CT scans.
