Published online Apr 21, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i15.2437
Revised: January 31, 2013
Accepted: February 5, 2013
Published online: April 21, 2013
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is regarded as one of the risk factors for colorectal cancer, and early detection of cancer in these patients may be difficult, especially in pediatric patients. Prognosis of pediatric colorectal cancer is known to be poor, because of delayed diagnosis and unfavorable differentiation. We report a case of a pediatric patient with a 10-year history of ulcerative colitis who was diagnosed with sigmoid colon cancer when he was 15 years old. He underwent proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis. Postoperative pathological examination of the tumor revealed adenocarcinoma. The pericolic tissue layer was infiltrated, but metastases were not found in either of the two lymph nodes. Children with a long history of predisposing factors such as IBD need particular attention to the possibility of colorectal cancer. Early diagnosis through regular screening with colonoscopy is one of the most important critical factors for a good prognosis.
Core tip: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is regarded as one of the important risk factors of colorectal cancer. Several cases of colorectal cancer with pediatric IBD have been reported. However, this case is noticeable in that the onset of disease in the patient was at a relatively young age and the duration of illness was rather short, even though the patient was given continuous medication and regular follow-ups. Therefore, this case highlights the importance the early diagnosis of the disease with a high level of awareness in children with a history of predisposing factors.