Rare cause of abdominal pain in childhood: computed tomography findings in a 14-year-old boy with a colonic carcinoma

Abstract

Carcinoma of the colon during infancy and childhood is a rare disease, and the diagnosis is usually not taken into consideration in a child complaining of abdominal pain. Owing to the lack of awareness of its occurrence and the histological cell type, it generally presents as advanced disease. We report on the case of a 14-year-old patient admitted to hospital with an acute abdomen and a 2-month history of night sweats and weight loss of 10 kg. Ultrasound and computed tomography revealed an unclear mass of the lower abdomen, and colonoscopic histopathologic examination disclosed an obstructing tubular-papillary adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon. Colonic carcinoma should be included as a differential diagnosis in young patients with abdominal pain of unknown etiology.