A case of acute appendicitis caused by obstruction due to caecal cancer

J Surg Case Rep. 2024 May 14;2024(5):rjae303. doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjae303. eCollection 2024 May.

Abstract

Acute appendicitis supposedly results from appendix obstruction caused by various conditions, including caecal cancer. Here, we report an adenocarcinoma found in the specimen of a 65-year-old man diagnosed with acute appendicitis. The adenocarcinoma was detected in the appendix stump after emergency laparoscopic appendectomy. The patient was diagnosed with caecal cancer based on post-operative lower endoscopy findings, and an additional laparoscopic right hemicolectomy was performed. Acute appendicitis can occur at any age and may require emergency surgery. It is a benign disease that can be cured entirely by appendectomy in most cases but may result from an underlying malignant disease in some cases, especially in patients >40 years of age. Thus, clinicians should consider the possibility of a malignancy while diagnosing and treating acute appendicitis.

Keywords: acute appendicitis; caecum cancer; laparoscopic appendectomy; laparoscopic hemicolectomy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports