Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 21, 2005; 11(39): 6225-6227
Published online Oct 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i39.6225
Adenosquamous carcinoma arising within a retrorectal tailgut cyst: Report of a case
Zoran Krivokapic, Ivan Dimitrijevic, Goran Barisic, Velimir Markovic, Miodrag Krstic
Zoran Krivokapic, Ivan Dimitrijevic, Goran Barisic, Velimir Markovic, Miodrag Krstic, Institute for Digestive Diseases, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Zoran Krivokapic, MD, FRCS, First Surgical Clinic, Koste Todorovica 6, Belgrade 11000, Serbia and Montenegro. scpy@beotel.yu
Telephone: +381-11-3031-830 Fax: +381-11-3031-830
Received: March 7, 2005
Revised: April 1, 2005
Accepted: April 2, 2005
Published online: October 21, 2005
Abstract

Retrorectal, developmental tail gut cysts, include dermoid cysts, rectal duplication cysts and retrorectal cyst-hama-rtomas. Retrorectal cyst-hamartomas (RCH) are derived from remnants of the tail gut, the most caudal part of the embryonic hind gut, which normally involutes by the 8th wk of embryonic development (3-8 mm stage). They have specific radiological and histopathological features that distinguish them from other similar formations (dermoid cysts, enteric duplication cysts and teratomas). We report a patient with adenosquamous carcinoma arising within RCH, who underwent complete resection of the cyst through anterior laparotomy, and reached complete (recurrence-free for 14 mo, so far) functional recovery. The cyst was incidentally discovered during hysterectomy 12 years ago. Diagnostic, therapeutic and histopathological aspects of this rare case are discussed. The mentioned period between diagnosis and surgical treatment suggests that RCH, given enough time, can develop malignant degeneration, and should be resected at the time of diagnosis.

Keywords: Tailgut cyst; Malignant transformation