Prostate cancer metastasizing to the small bowel

Citation
N. Malhi-chowla et al., Prostate cancer metastasizing to the small bowel, J CLIN GAST, 32(5), 2001, pp. 439-440
Citations number
16
Categorie Soggetti
Gastroenerology and Hepatology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY
ISSN journal
01920790 → ACNP
Volume
32
Issue
5
Year of publication
2001
Pages
439 - 440
Database
ISI
SICI code
0192-0790(200105/06)32:5<439:PCMTTS>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
Although prostate cancer is one of the most commonly encountered malignanci es in clinical practice, it is very unusual for prostate cancer to metastas ize to the small bowel. Our search of the literature found no such cases pu blished from 1966 to the present. We report the case of a 69-year-old man w ho presented for evaluation of anasarca and anorexia. He had a history of p rostate cancer diagnosed 9 years before and had undergone a radical prostat ectomy with subsequent radiotherapy for positive tumor margins. He develope d anasarca 2 years before presentation to us. His serum albumin ranged betw een 1.5 and 2.5 g/dL. Upper endoscopy was performed for possible protein-lo sing enteropathy and the appearance of gastric and duodenal mucosa was foun d to be normal. Random small bowel biopsies revealed submucosal infiltratin g adenocarcinoma with positive prostate-specific antigen stains consistent with the diagnosis of prostate cancer metastatic to the small bowel. This i s a rare presentation of metastatic prostate cancer. Even though prostate c ancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men, antemortem dia gnosis of small bowel metastasis has not been reported. In patients with un explained anasarca, especially with a history of malignancy, an upper endos copy with small bowel biopsy may be useful in establishing the diagnosis.