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Published on: September 20, 2018
Large bowel obstruction in women with pelvic malignancies. What is the primary?
C Papapolychroniadis1, D Kaimakis, K Giannoulis
11st Propedeutical Department of Surgery, Aristotle University, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. jimkam@med.auth.gr
Background:
Large bowel obstruction is occasionally the mode of presentation of advanced colorectal or pelvic malignancies, and a prognostic of poor survival. The choices of treatment range from palliative tube decompression to curative or palliative surgery.
Methods:
Twelve out of 500 women with various malignancies and symptomatology of large bowel obstruction were studied. All patients required urgent exploratory laparotomies.
Results:
The primary site was established intra-operatively to be the colon (2 cases), stomach (2 cases) and ovaries (2 cases). In the remaining 6 cases there was uncertainty about the origin of primary disease. Routine histology and immuno-histochemistry of the specimens revealed the origin of primary malignancy in all cases.
Conclusions:
Meticulous histological examination is essential for the establishment of correct diagnosis and selection of the best available treatment in women with pelvic malignancies, presenting with acute bowel obstruction.
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