Abstract
A case of undifferentiated carcinoma (endocrine cell carcinoma) of the colon is reported.
A 43-year-old man visited the hospital because of bloody stool. A descending colon cancer was detected by barium enema and endoscopy. Left hemicolectomy with lymph nodes dissection (R3) was performed. The resected tumor with the size of 2.8×2.5×1.3 cm showed Yamada's III type polyp with deep ulceration which shaped a flower bud. Histopathological investigation revealed undifferentiated carcinoma (endocrine cell carcinoma), because Grimelius' stain showed argyrophil granules but PAS stain did not show mucin production. Histological diagnosis was pm, n2 (+), P0, H0 M (-), ly3 v0 and stage IV. Although immunochemotherapy was attempted to, the patient died of liver and paraaortic lymph nodes metastases on 129th postoperative day. The prognosis of this disease is very poor resulting from rapidly developing metastasis and invasion in an early phase of the disease.
