Appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma newly classified by WHO 5th edition: a case report (a secondary publication)

Appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma (AGCA) is a newly proposed cancer type in the 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Tumours in 2019. We experienced this rare form of appendiceal primary neoplasm.

An 85-year-old male presented a positive fecal occult blood test. A series of imagings revealed a type 1 tumor, located on the appendiceal orifice. The subsequent biopsy made the diagnosis of signet-ring cell carcinoma. Consequently, he underwent the laparoscopic-assisted ileocecal resection. Initially, the tumor was suspected to be a Goblet cell carcinoid (GCC). There was a discrepancy between the histological and immunostaining findings: the tumor cells exhibited morphological similarities to GCCs, however displayed limited staining upon immunostaining. Ultimately, we concluded that the tumor should be classified as AGCA, by following WHO 5th Edition. AGCA represents a newly categorized subtype of adenocarcinomas. Because of our preoperative suspicion of malignancy, we performed tumor resection with regional lymph node dissection, despite the fact that most appendiceal malignant tumors are typically identified after an appendectomy.

We experienced a case that provides valuable insights into the comprehension of AGCA, a recently established pathological entity in the WHO 5th Edition. This article is an acceptable secondary publication of a case report that appeared in Azuma et al. (J Jpn Surg Assoc 83:1103-1108, 2022).