[Palliative Care for Rectal Cancer Complicated with Gastric Cancer]

Medical advancements have led to an increase in the number of elderly people. However, standard treatments may sometimes be difficult to use in elderly people. Here, we report the case of an elderly patient with rectal and gastric cancer who refused radical surgery. The patient was an 83-year-old man who had type-2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperuricemia, mitral valve regurgitation, and mild dementia. Furthermore, he was blind in both eyes owing to glaucoma. He first visited our hospital in 2005. In 2010, he was diagnosed with anemia, but he refused a thorough examination; however, he did consent to take iron supplements. In July 2011, he consulted our hospital for symptoms of frequent diarrhea, and agreed to an examination. After colonoscopy, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer that was becoming obstructive. There were no metastases to other organs, but he was also diagnosed with gastric cancer. As he and his family refused radical surgery, a stoma was constructed. After the operation, he received palliative care but died in September 2013.