Wishbone Ingestion Leading to a Diagnosis of Occult Sigmoid Adenocarcinoma

Foreign body ingestion can lead to life-threatening complications, including colonic perforation, especially with sharp-pointed objects. We detail an unusual case of a male patient in his seventies who presented with left lower quadrant abdominal pain and diarrhea, found to be secondary to a sharp foreign body ingestion, a wishbone. This finding led to a diagnosis of sigmoid adenocarcinoma, followed by colonic perforation weeks after an unsuccessful endoscopic removal attempt and prior to planned surgical intervention. He underwent exploratory laparotomy with wishbone removal, sigmoid colectomy, and diverting loop ileostomy. He was discharged to a skilled nursing facility for postoperative recovery with vacuum-assisted midline incision therapy. Our case is one of the few to detail a malignant mass causing colonic foreign body impaction with attempted endoscopic intervention, highlighting the intricacies of managing foreign body ingestion with endoscopic versus surgical intervention.