Article Text
Summary
After a positive faecal occult blood test, a 60-year-old woman underwent a screening colonoscopy which identified a malignant-looking ulcer in the ascending colon. Biopsies from the lesion were inconclusive. A subsequent CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis commented on a polypoid lesion in the ascending colon. A colorectal cancer multidisciplinary team discussion concluded that a right hemicolectomy was indicated as the lesion was suspicious for malignancy. Intraoperatively, there was a firm ascending colon mass adherent to the abdominal wall, which was resected with clear margins. There were no other complications, and the patient was discharged without further issues. Histopathology from the retrieved specimen revealed a complete absence of malignancy, but rather, inflamed granulation tissue with ‘reaction to foreign birefringent material’—likely to represent a mesh from an incisional hernia repair 9 years previously. The patient is currently recovering well without complication.
- cancer intervention
- colon cancer
- screening (oncology)
- gastrointestinal surgery
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Footnotes
Contributors TIW-C: Main author. FS: Involved in histopathological analysis and photography. AZ: Surgeon and contributory author. DP: contributory/senior author and surgeon in charge of the case.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.