Metastasis to the abdominal wall including port sites after laparoscopic surgery for
colorectal cancer is rare. Resection of metastatic lesions may lead to greater survival benefit if the abdominal wall
metastasis is the only manifestation of recurrent disease. A 57-year-old man, who underwent laparoscopic surgery for advanced
mucinous adenocarcinoma of the cecum 6 years prior, developed a nodule in the
surgical wound at the lower right abdomen. Although
tumor markers were within normal limits, the
metastasis to the abdominal wall and abdominal cavity from the previous
cecal cancer was suspected. An abdominal computed tomography scan did not provide detective evidence of
metastasis. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) was therefore performed, which demonstrated increased (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake (maximum standardized uptake value: 3.1) in the small abdominal wall nodule alone. Histopathological examination of the resected nodule confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic
mucinous adenocarcinoma. Prognosis of intestinal
mucinous adenocarcinoma is reported to be poorer than that of non-
mucinous adenocarcinoma. In conclusion, this case suggests an important role of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in early diagnosis and decision-making regarding
therapy for recurrent disease in cases where a firm diagnosis of recurrent
colorectal cancer is difficult to make.