Five Cases of Primary Appendiceal Carcinoma

Appendiceal carcinoma is relatively rare. Between 1991 and 2005, we have encountered 5 cases of appendiceal carcinoma. The mean age of these patients, consisting of one man and four women, was 68.0 years. The diagnosis of appendiceal carcinoma could not be made preoperatively. In any of the cases; four of the five cases were diagnosed as acute appendicitis, while the one was diagnosed as carcinoma of the cecum. Regarding the histologic type, the tumor was well-differentiated adenocarcinoma in 3 cases, and mucinous carcinoma in 2 cases. The tumor depth was classified as ‘ss’ in 2 cases and ‘ss’ in 3 cases, thus the depth was greater than ‘ss’ in all cases. About Case 3 and 4, the patients died 19 month later and 37 month later respectively. Appendiceal carcinoma is very difficult to diagonose preoperatively, and many patients are diagnosed as case of acute appendicitis. The clinical stage is usually advanced when the diagnosis was made, and the prognosis is bad. Thus in patients with right lower abdominal pain in whom tumor is diagnosed, appendiceal carcinoma should be borne in mind.