[Cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix. Report of a case]

Primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix is an uncommon disease frequently diagnosed surgery. It has an occurrence between 0.01 and 0.11% of all appendectomized patients, and it is more often found in patients older than fifty years. Symptoms are usually similar to those seen in acute appendicitis. Some authors consider the mucocele of the appendix a primary carcinoma as it is related with obstruction of the appendix lumen followed by a cystic dilatation with mucosal changes, mucus hypersecretion and extension outside of the appendix. We present one case with abdominal pain, constipation, weight loss of 26 kg, and a mass localized in the right lower quadrant. An exploratory surgery showed a partially retroperitoneal mass of 15 by 20 cm, irregular, cystic, with mucus content and the appendix included in it. The mass was removed and appendectomy was performed. Postoperatively the patient did well. The final pathologic report was a cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix.