Clinicopathological analysis of appendiceal mucinous tumors: A single-center experience

Appendiceal mucinous tumors can be encountered in four different types. The clinical approach varies according to these types and the severity of the present disease. We aimed to share clinical, radiological, and pathological features and surgical options of the patients diagnosed with mucinous tumors at our center.

Between August 2009 and March 2016, 757 patients underwent appendectomy for presumed diagnosis of acute appendicitis at the Department of Surgery, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University School of Medicine, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. Among them, demographic, clinical, and histopathological characteristics of patients who diagnosed with appendiceal mucinous tumors were retrospectively analyzed. This study was approved by our faculty's human ethics committee.

Incidence of mucinous tumor was 1.71%. Mean age of a total of 13 cases including 6 women and 7 men was 52.4±21.6 years (Range: 25-83 years). On preoperative diagnosis, acute appendicitis was detected in 8 patients, perforated appendicitis and periappendiceal abscess in two patients, and suspicious cecal mass in two patients. One patient had an operation for uterine leiomyoma. On histopathological examination, four patients were diagnosed with simple mucinous cyst, four with mucinous cystadenoma, three with mucosal hyperplasia, and two with mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. Mean duration of hospital stay was 5.1±4.7 days. One patient died from septic shock on first day, one from respiratory failure on 14th day, and one from cardiac arrest on 20th day. The average follow-up duration for the other 10 patients was 44 months (ranging from 1 to 78 months). No recurrence or death occurred in these patients over the course of follow-up.

Intraoperative clinical diagnosis of appendiceal mucinous tumors is rarely seen. Close histopathological and cytological examination of the specimen is required to separate malignant tumors from benign ones. The treatment varies depending on different types and the severity of the disease.