Synchronous isolated splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma

Case report of isolated synchronous multiple splenic metastases from rectal cancer: A case report and brief review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Isolated splenic metastasis emanating from colorectal cancer is an extremely rare finding, which usually indicates widely disseminated and multiple metastatic cancer. There have only been 39 cases of isolated splenic metastasis reported in the English literature to date.

PATIENT CONCERNS

An 84-year-old female patient presented to our department with dark-red bloody stool that had persisted for 1 month and with an increased serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level.

DIAGNOSES

A colonoscopy showed a rectal mass located 3 cm from the anal margin, which was 45 mm in diameter. The patient was diagnosed with rectal cancer with splenic metastases by abdomen computed tomography.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient underwent a radical resection of rectal cancer and splenectomy, and the postoperative histopathology confirmed that the splenic lesions were derived from the adenocarcinoma of the rectum.

OUTCOMES

After surgical treatment, the patient recovered well and was recommended for further chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to revealing a rare case, we also performed a literature review, including a brief discussion about the atypical isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal cancer. Our findings enrich the database of this rare clinical entity and provide experience in the management of splenic metastasis.

Synchronous isolated splenic metastasis from cancer of hepatic flexure of colon: A case report

RATIONALE

Isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal cancer is very rare, as metastatic colorectal cancer involving the spleen is usually a manifestation of widely disseminated disease. Splenectomy is the best therapeutic option for this entity and probably the only chance for radical cure.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 73-year-old male presented with abdominal distension and dark red bloody stool of 6-month duration.

DIAGNOSES

Synchronous isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal cancer.

INTERVENTIONS

Based on multidisciplinary team (MDT) mode, the patient underwent the primary hepatic flexure tumor resection due to his poor general condition. One month after surgery the patient began treatment with Xelox (capecitabine 1000 mg/m, oxaliplatin 130 mg/m) every 3 weeks. The patient underwent isolated splenic metastasis resection successfully by laparoscopic after four courses of chemotherapy.

OUTCOMES

The patient's postoperative course was uneventful and he completed four courses of postoperative chemotherapy using the original chemotherapy regimen Xelox (capecitabine 1000 mg/m, oxaliplatin 130 mg/m). The patient was subsequently followed up every 3 months and no signs of recurrence were noted in a recent examination.

LESSONS

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal cancer in China. It is also the first case in which treatment was overseen by an MDT. The possibility of splenic metastasis should be considered in cases in which colorectal cancer is associated with a splenic lesion, despite its rarity. Splenectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy are the optimal therapeutic approaches, as such an approach prolongs survival and palliates the disease.

Isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal mucinous carcinoma

Metastatic tumors of the spleen are rare and occur in the presence of disseminated visceral metastasis. Isolated splenic metastases from colorectal carcinoma are rare and only 19 cases have been reported in English literature. We report a case of isolated splenic metastasis in a 52-year-old man, occurring 9 years after the primary colorectal mucinous carcinoma was treated by anterior resection. The patient underwent splenectomy along with adjuvant chemotherapy and is alive and asymptomatic at 22 months follow-up.

Isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal cancer

Splenic metastases are unusual, arising in less than 1% of all metastases. Isolated solitary splenic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma is considered exceptional. This rarity has been explained by several hypotheses relating to the anatomical, histological, and immunological features of the spleen. We review the reported cases of isolated solitary splenic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma and discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic options for this entity. We searched the English-language medical literature, using the Medline and Pubmed databases from January 1966 through July 2010, for articles reporting isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma. Only 26 cases have been reported; four cases had synchronous splenic metastasis. Fifteen patients had regional lymph node involvement on diagnosis of primary carcinoma. The primary tumor was located in the left colon or in the rectum in 18 cases. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was elevated in 73% of cases. All patients underwent curative splenectomy; only one patient had laparoscopic resection of the spleen. Mean reported survival interval was 19.5 months; only three patients were deceased at last follow-up. Solitary splenic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma is very rare; clinicians are advised to pay close attention when routinely evaluating patients with serial CEA levels and abdominal scans. Splenectomy seems to be the preferred treatment modality with improvement of long-term survival. However, definitive conclusions cannot be drawn from the small number of case reports available.

Clinical and pathological features of splenic metastases of colorectal carcinoma: an analysis of three cases

AIM: To study the clinicopathological features and diagnosis of splenic metastases of colorectal carcinoma.

METHODS: The clinical data for three patients with splenic metastases of colorectal carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed to investigate the clinical features, methods of diagnosis and treatment, and prognosis of the disease.

RESULTS: A definite diagnosis was achieved preoperatively by PET/CT in one patient. Two patients were initially diagnosed with splenic abscess. Splenectomy was performed in two patients, and exploratory laparoscopy in one patient. One patient died 2 wk after operation, and the other two patients survived for 2 and 6 years, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Splenic metastases of colorectal carcinoma are a rare disease that is frequently misdiagnosed. Imaging examination is helpful in diagnosing splenic metastases of colorectal carcinoma. Patients with splenic abscess should be suspected of having concomitant colorectal carcinoma. Long-term survival can be achieved by splenectomy in colorectal carcinoma patients with isolated splenic metastasis.

Isolated splenic metastases of colorectal carcinoma--case report and review of literature

It is very rare situation when surgeon can virtually expect a curative operation after revealing distal metastases of colorectal carcinoma. In case of isolated splenic metastases, splenectomy can result with good five year survival rate. There are no more than 15 cases of isolated splenic metastases publish in English speaking literature. This article reveals our case along with a literature review and brief discussion of diagnostic and therapeutic options.

Clinical case report and literature review: metachronous colorectal splenic metastases

A 52-year-old woman with a rising carcinoembryonic antigen CEA, no clinical or radiological findings, a negative colonoscopy, and a positron emission tomography (PET) scan that revealed an isolated hypermetabolic lesion in the spleen. The patient underwent splenectomy by laparoscopic surgery. The pathological study confirmed the presence of an isolated metastasis to the spleen. This case reveals the rare occurrence of isolated splenic metastases in the context of colorectal cancer and illustrates the role of PET when a patient shows a rising CEA with negative clinicoradiological studies.

Isolated splenic metastasis from colon cancer. Report of a case

Isolated splenic metastasis is an uncommon event, except in the case of secondary involvement by lymphoma. The most common sites of metastases of colorectal cancer are the regional lymph nodes, liver and peritoneum; lung and bone are rarely involved, the spleen exceptionally. In this paper we report a case of metachronous isolated splenic metastasis of transverse colon cancer in an 80-year-old woman who was successfully treated by splenectomy. The peculiar clinical-pathological aspects of this kind of metastasis are discussed on the basis of our clinical observation and a review is presented of similar cases reported in the literature. Only 14 reported cases of isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal cancer were found in Medline.

Synchronous isolated splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma and concomitant splenic abscess: A case report and review of the literature

This study aimed to describe a case in which an isolated splenic metastasis was synchronous with the colonic primary and a concomitant splenic abscess was associated. A wide review of the literature was also performed. A 54-year-old woman with abdominal pain and fever was admitted to our department. Abdominal CT revealed two low-density areas in the spleen and wall-thickening of the left colonic flexure, which was indistinguishable from the spleen parenchyma. The patient underwent emergency celiotomy, with the presumptive diagnosis of obstructing colon carcinoma of the splenic flexure, and concomitant splenic abscess. Subtotal colectomy and splenectomy were performed. Pathological findings were consistent with mucinous colonic carcinoma, synchronous isolated splenic metastasis and concomitant splenic abscess. This paper is also a review of the existing literature on the association between colorectal cancer and splenic metastasis. Only 41 cases of isolated splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma have been reported in the literature. This report is the third described case of synchronous isolated splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma. Only one case with concomitant splenic abscess has been previously reported. When obstructing left-sided colorectal cancer is suspected, careful CT examination can allow early diagnosis of splenic involvement by the tumor. The literature review suggests that there might be a significant improvement in survival following splenectomy for a metachronous isolated splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma. Prognosis for synchronous splenic metastasis seems to be related to the advanced stage of the disease. Nevertheless, no definitive conclusions can be drawn because of the small number of cases.

Splenic metastases: clinicopathologic presentation, differential diagnosis, and pathogenesis

CONTEXT

Splenic metastases from solid tumors, defined as parenchymal lesion, are considered exceptional. Nevertheless, the number of case reports has been increasing due to the improvement of imaging techniques and the long-term follow-up of patients with cancer. Splenic metastases occur in a context of multivisceral disseminated cancer or as a solitary lesion.

OBJECTIVE

To provide a general overview of the clinicopathologic features, differential diagnosis, and pathogenesis of splenic metastases.

DATA SOURCES

Relevant articles indexed in PubMed (National Library of Medicine) database. The search was based on the following terms: (metastasis or metastases) and spleen.

CONCLUSIONS

The most common primary sources of splenic metastasis are breast, lung, colorectal, and ovarian carcinomas and melanoma in cases of multivisceral cancer and colorectal and ovarian carcinomas in cases of solitary splenic lesion. Splenectomy can be replaced by less aggressive methods such as fine-needle aspiration or percutaneous biopsy for establishing the diagnosis of solitary splenic metastasis. The main differential diagnoses are primary lymphoma, vascular tumors, and infectious lesions of the spleen. The relative rarity of splenic metastases could be explained by anatomic factors and the inhibitory effect of the splenic microenvironment on the growth of metastatic cells. The analysis of clinical case reports suggests that solitary splenic metastases may result from the growth of an early blood-borne micrometastasis following a period of clinical latency, often several years after the diagnosis of the primary tumor.

Late recurrence of a prostatic adenocarcinoma as a solitary splenic metastasis

Splenic metastases of solid tumors are exceptional. We report the first case of an isolated splenic metastasis from prostate carcinoma, 5 years after radical prostatectomy. The splenic tumor was revealed by a pain and progressive increase in the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. Histology of the spleen showed an adenocarcinoma immunostained with cytokeratin and PSA markers. The patient remained asymptomatic and his serum PSA level was within normal limits 17 months after the splenectomy. This case suggests that splenic metastasis might be the result of the growth of an early blood-borne micrometastasis within the spleen after a period of clinical latency.

Role of image-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy in the management of patients with splenic metastasis

BACKGROUND

Splenic metastases are very rare and are mostly diagnosed at the terminal phase of the disease or at the time of autopsy. The cytohistological diagnosis, when done, is made prevalently by splenectomy. Reports on splenic percutaneous biopsies in the diagnosis of splenic metastasis are fragmentary and very poor. The aims of this study are to analyse retrospectively the accuracy, safety and the clinical impact of ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (UG-FNAB) in patients with suspected splenic metastasis.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 1800 percutaneous abdominal biopsies performed at our institute during the period from 1993 to 2003 was done and 160 patients that underwent splenic biopsy were found. Among these 160 patients, 12 cases with the final diagnosis of solitary splenic metastases were encountered and they form the basis of this report. The biopsies were performed under US guidance using a 22-gauge Chiba needle. All the patients underwent laboratory tests, CT examination of the abdomen and chest, US examination of abdomen and pelvis.

RESULTS

There were 5 women and 7 men, median age 65 years (range 48-80). Eight patients had a known primary cancer at the time of the diagnosis of splenic metastasis: 3 had breast adenocarcinoma, 2 colon adenocarcinoma, 2 melanoma and 1 lung adenocarcinoma. Four patients were undiagnosed at the time of the appearance of splenic metastasis and subsequent investigations showed adenocarcinoma of the lung in 2 patients and colon adenocarcinoma in the remaining 2. There was a complete correspondence between the US and Computed Tomography (CT) in detecting focal lesions of the spleen. The splenic biopsies allowed a cytological diagnosis of splenic metastasis in all the 12 patients and changed clinical management in all cases. Reviewing the 160 patients that underwent UG-FNAB of the spleen we found no complications related to the biopsies.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that UG-FNAB is a successful technique for diagnosis of splenic metastasis allowing an adequate treatment of the affected patients.

Isolated metachronous splenic metastasis from synchronous colon cancer

Background

Isolated splenic metastases from colorectal cancer are very rare and there are only 13 cases reported in the English literature so far. Most cases are asymptomatic and the diagnosis is usually made by imaging studies during the evaluation of rising CEA level postoperatively.

Case presentation

A 76-year-old man underwent an extended left hemicolectomy for synchronous colon cancers located at the left flexure and the sigmoid colon. The tumors were staged as IIIC (T3N2M0) clinically and the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. During the first year follow-up period, the patient remained asymptomatic with normal levels of laboratory tests including CEA measurement. However, a gradually rising CEA level after the 14^th postoperative month necessitated further imaging studies including computed tomography of the abdomen which revealed a mass in the spleen that was subsequently confirmed by ¹⁸FDG- PET scanning to be an isolated metastasis. The patient underwent splenectomy 17 months after his previous cancer surgery. Histological diagnosis confirmed a metastatic adenocarcinoma with no capsule invasion. After an uneventful postoperative period, the patient has been symptom-free during the one-year of follow-up with normal blood CEA levels, although he did not accept to receive any further adjuvant therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this 14^th case of isolated splenic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma is also the first reported case of splenic metastasis demonstrated preoperatively by ¹⁸FDG PET-CT fusion scanning which revealed its solitary nature as well.

Conclusion

Isolated splenic metastasis is a rare finding in the follow-up of colorectal cancer patients and long-term survival can be achieved with splenectomy.

[Spontaneous splenic rupture due to splenic metastasis of lung cancer]

We report the case of a patient who underwent splenectomy for spontaneous rupture of the spleen due to splenic metastasis. Pathologic examination revealed diffuse infiltration by carcinoma. Chest X-ray revealed a right lung superior lobe tumor, related to poorly differentiated carcinoma. Total splenectomy is a good option for diagnosis and treatment of splenic metastases.