A rare case of colon cancer with splenic abscess

Abstract

Cancer of the colon does not always present with the familiar symptoms. Perforation and penetration of adjacent organs, with abscess formation as the initial presentation, is uncommon. Splenic abscess is a rare clinical entity. The four causes of a splenic abscess described are: primary pyogenic infection, splenic trauma, hemoglobinopathies and contiguous disease. In this paper we report a case of splenic abscess from colon cancer in an 50-year-old man who had a left lower chest contusion two-week before and review pertinent literature. Only 11 reported cases of splenic abscess from colorectal cancer were found in Medline.