Large retrorectal tumors are rare and often a diagnostic and surgical challenge due to their anatomical location. We report the case of a 55-year-old patient with weight loss and changed bowel habits, where digital rectal examination revealed a retrorectal mass raising suspicion of a tumor. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) showed a large retrorectal tumor and histopathology after surgical resection showed undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma. This tumor type has not been previously reported as the etiology of large retrorectal tumors. We discuss the implications of diagnostic imaging, especially MRI, in the approach to diagnosis and surgical treatment of retrorectal tumors with reference to the scientific literature and previously reported cases of retrorectal tumors.
Keywords: CT; Colorectal cancer; MRI; Presacral tumor; Retrorectal tumor; Sarcoma.
© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.