Advanced colonic cancer associated with radiation colitis, report of a case

A 68-year-old woman with a history of irradiation for uterine cervical cancer was admitted to our institute, because of abdominal distension. Barium enema examination and total colonoscopy revealed narrowing, irregular mucosa and an ulcerating tumor in the sigmoid colon and a flat elevation in the transverse colon. Biopsy specimens from these tumors contained adenocarcinoma. Histological examination of the resected colon revealed the tumor in the sigmoid colon to be a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma invading the subserosa and that in the transverse colon to be an intramucosal adenocarcinoma. There were also areas of low or high grade dysplasia in the sigmoid colon. Histological findings compatible with radiation colitis were found in the sigmoid colon. These clinicopathologic features suggested a diagnosis of colonic cancer associated with radiation colitis. (author)