APPENDICEAL MUCOCELE WITH CONCOMITANT COLONIC-CANCER - REPORT OF 2 CASES

PURPOSE: Mucocele of the appendix is an uncommon disorder, usually fou nd incidentally during ultrasonography or radiographic studies. We rep ort two cases of combined appendiceal mucocele and colonic cancer. MET HODS: The two cases mere analyzed for the clinicopathologic characteri stics such as history, presentation, laboratory data, radiologic and e ndoscopic studies, pathology, and p53 immunoreactivity. RESULTS: Two p atients were diagnosed with an appendiceal mucocele by ultrasound of t he abdomen, together with computed tomography. Colonoscopic examinatio n subsequently revealed synchronous colonic adenocarcinoma in both pat ients. Ileocecal resection following endoscopic polypectomy and a righ t hemicolectomy was performed for each patient. An appendiceal mucocel e was histologically diagnosed as a mucinous cystadenoma. Immunohistoc hemical detection of abnormally high level of p53 protein mas observed in colonic adenocarcinomas of both patients, whereas both appendiceal cytadenomas were negative for p53. CONCLUSIONS: To be remembered is t he high frequency of concomitant gastrointestinal tumors in patients w ith appendiceal mucocele, especially caused by mucinous neoplasms. A t otal colonoscopic surveillance will afford earlier diagnosis of synchr onous colonic cancers in these patients.