A giant villous adenoma case mimicking right colon carcinoma

An 85-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to pain and swelling in her right inguinal region. She had a right inguinal hernia. Abdominal computerized tomography revealed an 8 x 8 cm cecal mass and also a 13.5 cm segmental asymmetric nodular thickening of the cecum. Colonoscopic examination revealed a sessile polypoid mucus-secreting mass mimicking carcinoma that narrowed the cecal lumen. Histopathological examinations of sections from colonoscopic biopsy materials on light microscopy revealed villous adenoma morphology. The patient underwent operation, and an 18 x 6 x 4 cm mass, which partially obstructed the cecum, was seen. A right hemicolectomy was performed for complete excision. Histopathological examination revealed a pure villous adenoma, and there was no sign of malignant degeneration. On the 6th postoperative day, the patient was discharged from the hospital. During follow-ups at three-month intervals throughout one year, no abnormal colonoscopic or laboratory findings were assessed. We believe that, in older patients with inguinal hernia, presence of intraabdominal mass should be considered. Furthermore, we showed in this report that villous adenomas can reach significant dimensions without causing any obstructing signs or electrolyte imbalance and can mimic colon carcinoma.