Colonic adenocarcinoma arising from gastric heterotopia: a case study

Heterotopic gastric mucosa occurs in all areas of the gastrointestinal tract including the nasopharynx, tongue, esophagus, small intestine, colon, and rectum. Gastric heterotopia of the large bowel is infrequent, and most cases have been reported in the rectum. Review of the literature has revealed only eight cases involving the colon proximal to the rectum. Little is known of the natural history of gastric heterotopias, except that. It usually presents with gastrointestinal bleeding, though other serious complications such as bowel perforation, intussusceptions, and fistula formation, are possible. Further, it is unclear whether heterotopic gastric mucosa progresses to malignancy. Herein, we describe a case of adenocarcinoma of the transverse colon arising from gastric heterotopia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of adenocarcinoma arising from heterotopic gastric mucosa in the colon.