Pelvic exenteration for recurrent rectal cancer involving the small bowel and abdominal wall – case report

Abstract

Pelvic exenteration represents a radical intervention performed on highly selected cases for locally advanced pelvic (gynecologic and digestive) tumours. Due to the high complexity of the intervention and of the impact of the neoplastic disease on the patient this intervention is accompanied by a high degree of postoperative morbidity. We hereby present the case of a patient with recurrent rectal cancer involving the bladder, small bowel and anterior abdominal wall in which a supralevatorial pelvectomy was performed. Although it was performed on a patient with infected tumour, the postoperative course of the patient was uneventful; the patient is disease-free at 6 months after pelvectomy. Although pelvic exenteration is associated with increased morbidity, many patients with recurrence after rectal resection that undergo this intervention can have increased disease-free survival.