Primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix and pseudomyxoma peritonei

Two cases of primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix are reported. Both patients presented with a clinical picture resembling acute appendicitis. One case was complicated by a pseudomyxoma peritonei. The other patient additionally had several colonic adenomatous polyps and a malignant neoplasm of the ascending colon. Primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix is rare and only some 250 cases have been reported. It usually presents as acute appendicitis in the 6th or the 7th decade. Prognosis and histology closely resemble that of colonic adenocarcinoma. Resection of the ileocecal segment is the first choice treatment in all stages except Dukes A. In Dukes A appendectomy alone is sufficient treatment. After ileocecal resection the 5 year survival is better than after appendectomy alone for Dukes' stages B and C. Clinical presentation and treatment of the adenocarcinoma and a remarkable complication, the pseudomyxoma peritonei, will be discussed.