Cancer of the appendix was found in a 69-year-old female patient affected by long-standing ulcerative colitis (UC). On histological examination the cancer was a typical cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix. The appendiceal mucosa not invaded by the neoplastic process was normal. Histological examination of the colorectal mucosa did not show dysplasia or cancer. These findings suggest that appendiceal cancer and UC may be unrelated diseases. A surveillance program for early detection of cancer of the appendix in patients with longstanding UC does not seem mandatory.
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KashaniM., LevyM.: Primary adenocarcinomas of the appendix with bilateral Krukenberg ovarian tumors.J. Surg. Oncol.,22: 101–105, 1983.
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Lennard JonesJ.E., ConnelW.R.: Surveillance - inflammatory bowel disease.In: Cancer of colon, rectum and anus, CohenA.M., WinawerS.J., FriedmanM.A., GundersonL.L. (Eds.), pp. 359–370, McGraw Hill, New York, 1995.
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