An atypical presentation of metastatic sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma in a young patient: Case report

Abstract

Colorectal adenocarcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer death in women and the fourth in men worldwide. It is diagnosed mostly in patients older than 50 years, being 72 years the mean age at diagnosis. Despite this, it is estimated that the incidence in young and middle-aged people will increase in the coming years. Due to this projection and considering that the absence of specific signs and symptoms does not allow a timely diagnosis, clinical sensitization and a high index of suspicion are necessary in atypical presentations. We present the case of a young female patient who consulted for a one-month history of respiratory symptoms who, after treatment with antibiotic, antiviral and systemic immunomodulatory agents, presented sepsis of abdominal origin due to four-quadrant peritonitis secondary to perforation of the sigmoid colon due to adenocarcinoma well differentiated, metastatic to the lung, which led to her death.