Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Feb 6, 2024; 12(4): 853-858
Published online Feb 6, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i4.853
Adenocarcinoma of sigmoid colon with metastasis to an ovarian mature teratoma: A case report
Wei Wang, Chun-Chi Lin, Wen-Yi Liang, Shih-Ching Chang, Jeng-Kai Jiang
Wei Wang, Chun-Chi Lin, Shih-Ching Chang, Jeng-Kai Jiang, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 11217, Taiwan
Chun-Chi Lin, Wen-Yi Liang, Shih-Ching Chang, Jeng-Kai Jiang, Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan
Wen-Yi Liang, Department of Pathology, Taipei Veteran General Hospital, Taipei 11217, Taiwan
Author contributions: Jiang JK, Lin CC and Chang SC contributed to the treatment of case and data collection; Liang WY reported the pathology and made the picture of the pathology slide; Wang W reviewed the literature and wrote the paper.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None of the authors have any conflict of interest to declare.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jeng-Kai Jiang, MD, PhD, Professor, Surgeon, Surgical Oncologist, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201 Shipai Road, Section 2, Beitou District, Taipei 11217, Taiwan. jkjiang@vghtpe.gov.tw
Received: November 6, 2023
Peer-review started: November 6, 2023
First decision: November 22, 2023
Revised: November 22, 2023
Accepted: January 8, 2024
Article in press: January 8, 2024
Published online: February 6, 2024
Processing time: 79 Days and 17.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer ranks third in global cancer-related mortality, often due to metastases to liver and lungs. Ovarian metastases are less common, accounting for 3.6% to 7.4% of cases. In contrast, mature ovarian teratomas are frequently benign. Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is a rare phenomenon, with a limited number of documented cases. Three cases of mature ovarian teratomas metastasizing from different cancers have been reported. This report focuses on a case of tumor-to-tumor metastasis from sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma to a mature ovarian teratoma.

CASE SUMMARY

A 41-year-old Taiwanese woman with no known systemic diseases presented with lower back pain, which led to imaging revealing malignant lesions in the spine, pelvis, liver, and multiple lung metastases. She was diagnosed with sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma with metastases to the liver, lung, bone, and a left ovarian teratoma. Treatment involved radiotherapy and chemotherapy, resulting in regression of the primary tumor and stable lung and liver lesions. Due to abdominal symptoms, she underwent exploratory surgery, unveiling a mature teratoma in the left ovary with signs of metastatic adenocarcinoma.

CONCLUSION

Consider resecting mature ovarian teratomas with concurrent colorectal adenocarcinoma to prevent tumor-to-tumor metastasis.

Keywords: Tumor-to-tumor metastasis; Colorectal cancer; Ovarian teratoma; Adenocarcinoma; Case report

Core Tip: Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is an unusual occurrence. We present a case in which tumor metastasis has been observed, stemming from colorectal adenocarcinoma to a mature ovarian teratoma. This serves as a reminder for clinicians to remain vigilant. While mature ovarian teratomas are typically benign, it is essential to contemplate resection when a patient presents with concurrent colorectal adenocarcinoma. This is due to the potential risk of tumor-to-tumor metastasis.