There are few reported cases of colorectal
metastasis from
cancers of other organs, particularly other segments of the colon. Here we describe the long-term survival of a 68-year-old male patient with metachronous rectal
metastasis from
cecal cancer who underwent repetitive resection and
chemotherapy. The patient underwent ileocecal resection and
hepatectomy for
cecal cancer with liver
metastasis (T3, N1a, M1a, Stage IVA) in 2006. The patient subsequently underwent
splenectomy for splenic
metastasis in 2007. In August 2008, barium enema revealed compression of the rectal wall, and abdominal computed tomography (CT) detected a mass along the rectum extending into the pelvis. Rectal
metastasis from
cecal cancer was suspected and Hartmann's operation with bilateral seminal vesicle dissection was performed. Histological examination of the excised
tumor revealed moderately differentiated
adenocarcinoma formed in the muscularis propria of the rectum and infiltrating the connective tissue between the seminal vesicle and rectum. However, no
tumor was detected in the rectal mucosa or submucosa. These histological findings supported the diagnosis of rectal
metastasis from
cecal cancer. The patient has been monitored at our clinic for 60 months after surgical removal of the rectal
metastasis. The findings from this case should alert oncologists to the potential danger of rectal
metastasis from primary
colon cancer and the benefits of timely complete resection in terms of improved patient outcomes.