Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Masquerading as Crohn's Disease

Abstract

Metastasis from head and neck tumors to the small intestine is an extremely rare occurrence with a dismal prognosis. We present a 67-year-old man with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that initially presented as recurrent small bowel obstruction and was misdiagnosed as Crohn's disease. On colonoscopy, terminal ileum biopsies of lymphoid-appearing subcentimeter nodules were positive for metastatic squamous cell cancer. Our case highlights the importance of having a high index of suspicion for metastasis in patients with a recent history of head and neck cancers.