ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN-PRODUCING CARCINOMA OF THE COLON - REPORT OF A CASE

We report herein the rare case of a 67-year-old man in whom alpha-fete -protein (AFP)-producing carcinoma originated in the transverse colon, describing the clinical course of the patient and the histological fe atures of the tumor, At the age of 63, the patient had been diagnosed as having sigmoid colon carcinoma, and surgery was carried out, Howeve r, 4 years later, his fecal occult blood test was positive, and furthe r investigation revealed a transverse colon carcinoma with liver metas tasis, The serum AFP measured preoperatively was 10978 ng/ml, Resectio n of the transverse colon and a liver biopsy were performed, following which his serum AFP level decreased to 4804 ng/ml, Histology of the u lcerated lesion in the transverse colon showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a medullary growth pattern, Using an immunohistoc hemical staining method, AFP-producing cells were detected in the tran sverse colon carcinoma and the liver metastasis. Based on our experien ce of this patient and a review of the literature on the few cases pre viously reported, we conclude that AFP-producing coloretal carcinoma h as a tendency to produce blood-borne metastasis and to be associated w ith a poor prognosis.