Rectal Metastasis from Early-Stage Endometrial Carcinoma Not Associated with Endometriosis: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Abstract

Objective: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the third most common malignancy in woman with excellent prognosis when diagnosed in early-stage. Recurrences are extremely rare in Stage I EC especially in rectum when not associated with endometriosis. We present a case of rectal metastasis from endometrial carcinoma after 8 years of primary diagnosis. A review of the literature showed only 6 published cases.

Case presentation: Herein we present a 59-year-old woman with a rectal tumor mass. The patient before 8 years was surgically treated for EC Stage IA with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and hysterectomy. After ultra-low anterior resection rectum was removed with the tumor. Histology revealed adenocarcinoma with positive immunohistochemistry for CK7, ER, PAX8, Vimentin which confirmed endometrial origin. Endometriosis was not found.

Conclusion: Although rectum is a rare site of recurrence from endometrial cancer, rectal tumors should be sampled carefully. Previous patient history and positive immunohistochemistry for EC are in favor of recurrent disease. Screening of colorectal carcinoma should be performed in patients with previous gynecologic diagnosis. Further genetic analysis in bigger case series is needed in order to explain the time and the site of recurrence of early-stage endometrial carcinoma.