Rektumkarzinom im Kindesalter

Abstract

The authors report on the case of a 12-year-old girl on whom surgery was performed for primary carcinoma of the rectum with a case history of one year. The tumour had already infiltrated the vagina. Abdominoperineal amputation of the rectum was performed. An extended tumour relapse and metastases in the liver were found on relaparotomy which had to be performed three years later The prognosis was, therefore, unfavourable indeed. Numerous publications prove that carcinoma of the rectum must be given differential diagnostic consideration even in childhood, especially if there are unclear deposits of blood in the faeces in conjunction with abdominal pain and loss of weight. Usually, the "fatal pause" between the first symptoms and the correct diagnosis is too long. Once the disease has progressed to an advanced stage, carcinoma of the rectum has a very unfavourable prognosis even in children. Simple digito-rectal examination can decisively improve the survival rate.

Adenocarcinoma of the Rectum in Childhood Following Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy for a Rhabdomyosarcoma - A Case Report

“…Colorectal carcinoma is the third ranking carcinoma and the second ranking cause of mortality in industrialized countries [12]. While the disease is commonly observed in older patients with the mean age reported to be approximately 65 years, it is extremely rare during childhood with an incidence of about 1/10 000 000 [1,2,4,9,13].…”