EPIDIDYMIS METASTASIS FROM COLON-CARCINOMA - A CASE-REPORT AND A REVIEW OF THE JAPANESE LITERATURE

A 56-year-old Japanese man in whom a descending colon carcinoma had be en resected underwent a high orchitectomy for metastatic epididymis fr om the colon. Metastatic carcinoma from the digestive organs to the sp ermatic cord (SC) and/or the intrascrotal contents (ISC) is rare. Fift y-four Japanese patients with metastasis from the digestive organs to the SC and/or the ISC were analyzed. The most frequent primary site wa s the stomach and the most frequent metastatic site was the spermatic cord. Our patient was the first to exhibit metastasis from the colon t o the epididymis. A primary site was identified in 24 patients subsequ ent to the metastatic tumor. Twenty patients had other organ metastati s. The prognosis for SC and/or ISC metastasis patients is poor. Our pa tients has survived for 18 months following his orchitectomy with no o ther organ metastasis (31 months after the primary operation). In our patient, monoclonal estrogen receptor staining was negative; however, further study must be undertaken.