Early onset colon cancer affected by Lynch syndrome

We report here a 16-year-old patient who presented initially with symptoms characteristic of appendicitis. Following a CT scan suggesting perforated appendicitis, the patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics with a scheduled interval appendectomy three months later. Pathology reports from the interval appendectomy showed that the specimen contained a well-to-moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. The patient then underwent robot assisted right hemicolectomy as definitive management, which demonstrated that the tumor originated in the cecum with invasion into the submucosa and focally infiltrating the muscularis propria. This case illustrates the need to be cognizant that cancer can present similarly to appendicitis, to be aware of the increasing incidence of colon cancer in younger patients, and to catalyze the acceptability of robotics for minimally invasive surgery.
Source: Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports - Category: Surgery Source Type: research