[Resection of a left obturator lymph node recurrence five years five months after surgery for rectal cancer]

A 62-year-old man with lower rectal cancer underwent abdominoperineal resection and dissection of the lateral pelvic lymph nodes. The cancer was staged at pT3pN0cM0, pStage II and did not show recurrence. Two years later, the patient had dysphagia and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer based on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) performed to detect distant metastasis revealed fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the left obturator lymph nodes, indicating rectal cancer recurrence. The patient received radiation therapy (60.4 Gy) for the recurrence. A PET/CT scan obtained 2 years 6 months after the initial rectal cancer resection revealed no FDG uptake. Uraciltegafur plus Leucovorin (UFT+LV) was started and continued for 6 months, but tumor enlargement was noted. Treatment was changed to LV, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI), but after 4 courses, the patient's carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels rose. The patient then received 4 courses of bevacizumab plus FOLFIRI. A CT scan revealed tumor shrinkage, so the patient received 4 more courses of this regimen. Five years postoperatively, the patient's CEA levels rose again. A PET/CT scan 4 months later revealed FDG uptake in the left obturator lymph nodes, indicative of rectal cancer recurrence. One month later, the lymph nodes were resected. The patient was subsequently recurrence free. Tumor marker measurement and PET/CT helped to assess the patient's condition. When cancer recurs in the lateral pelvic lymph nodes with no involvement of the pelvis and R0 resection is possible, resection should be considered if the patient is capable of undergoing surgery.