[The simultaneous occurrence of inguinal hernia and colorectal cancer--case reports]

The simultaneous occurrence of inguinal hernia and colorectal cancer is rare, but it is well known by surgeons. We call attention to the synchronous diseases with the help of cases accumulating in our department and with the support of literature.

A 76-year-old male hernioplasty by Lichtenstein was performed on, and during the exploration because of ileus having developed in the postoperative period a stenosing rectum carcinoma was discovered. 87-year-old inguinal hernial male patient's sigmoid tumor was justified as a result of complex examination completed before surgery. The resection of sigmoid and simultaneously left-sided hernioplasty were carried out transabdominally with implantation of polypropylene mesh. With a 81-year-old male presenting bilateral inguinal hernia a carcinoma of rectum was found with digital examination. A rectum resection by Dixon was made, and in second stage inguinal herniorrhaphies are planned after cytostatic treatment. With a 94-year-old male patient arriving with incarcerated hernia a stenosing carcinoma of rectum was palpated with rectal digital examination, but the patient refused all intervention. After reposition of abdominal wall hernia of an 81-year-old female patient a tumor was found--through colonoscopic examination--30 cm from anal opening, but the patient rejected any kind of operation.

With the contemporaneous appearance of two diseases should be taken into consideration, when long existing hernia rapidly becomes larger, and complaints emerge with the hernial patients. At this point the complex examination of colon is inevitable during the operative preparation.