A Rare Presentation of Appendiceal Carcinoma

Kevin Walsh; Niranjan Ojha; Amitpal Nat; Lorenzo Gitto; Vesna Untanu

doi:10.7759/cureus.16370

A Rare Presentation of Appendiceal Carcinoma

Cureus. 2021 Jul 13;13(7):e16370. doi: 10.7759/cureus.16370. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Authors

Kevin Walsh¹, Niranjan Ojha¹, Amitpal Nat¹, Lorenzo Gitto², Vesna Untanu²

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.
² Pathology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.

Abstract

Appendiceal cancer is a rare malignancy. Our patient presented initially to her primary care physician due to symptoms of lightheadedness and dizziness and was found to have severe anemia requiring hospital admission. She underwent a colonoscopy and was found to have mucosal ulceration in the appendiceal orifice. She underwent a biopsy of the ulceration, which was remarkable for moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. The patient then underwent a right hemicolectomy. The usual presentation for appendiceal carcinoma is acute appendicitis; however, our patient presented with the microcytic anemia.

Keywords: anemia; appendiceal cancer; appendicitis; hemicolectomy; iron deficiency.

Publication types

Case Reports