Small cell carcinoma of the rectum; report of a case
Tokatli, F.; Koçak, Z.; Ozyilmaz, F.; Uygun, K.; Caloglu, M.; Uzal, C.
Journal of BUON Official Journal of the Balkan Union of Oncology 7(1): 75-77
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 1107-0625 PMID: 17577266 Document Number: 550802
Primary small cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the colon and rectum is a relatively rare tumour with an overall incidence of less than 1% among all colorectal cancers. These tumours are highly aggressive as distant metastases occur even when the primary tumour is limited to the submucosa or mucosa. Despite the mean survival being around 6 months, long-term survival may be achieved in patients with localized disease treated with curative resection and adjuvant therapy. We report on a patient with Dukes' C small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the rectum who underwent surgery followed by pelvic irradiation and chemotherapy and achieved long-term survival.