Adenocarcinoma arising at ileostomy sites: Two cases and a review of the literature

Primary Adenocarcinoma at Ileostomy—A Rare Late Complication: Three Cases and Literature Review

Introduction

Primary adenocarcinoma at the ileostomy site is a rare complication, with only 57 cases reported in the literature. The primary diagnosis is usually ulcerative colitis (UC) or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).

Cases

We present 3 cases of adenocarcinoma at the ileostomy site. Two of our 3 cases have a previous diagnosis of cancer, with no previous diagnosis of UC or FAP.

Discussion

Adenocarcinoma at ileostomy is a rare late complication of permanent ileostomy. Possible etiologies are chronic irritation and changes in bacterial flora that lead to metaplasia and cancer development.

Conclusion

Adenocarcinoma at the ileostomy site is a rare complication with good prognosis if detected early. Diagnosis is by biopsy, and treatment is surgical. A biopsy should be considered in any abnormal growth around the ileostomy.

A systematic review of primary ileostomy site malignancies

BACKGROUND

This paper aimed to elucidate the etiologies of all primary ileostomy site malignancies published in the literature.

METHODS

A review of the literature was conducted following PRISMA guidelines by querying PubMed, Global Health, and Web of Science for articles published before November 2020. Search criteria contained broad terminology for ileostomy site neoplasms without language, date, or publication limitations. A full-text review of the abstracts confirmed primary malignant pathologies and was evaluated for study inclusion.

RESULTS

Literature search discovered 858 publications, with 76 meeting eligibility criteria. The final sample contained 91 patients, with equal males and females. The mean age of patients with ileostomy site malignancy was 62.0 ± 12.2, with an average ileostomy age of 29.4 ± 12.4. The most common indications for ileostomy creation were inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (73.6%) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) (20.9%). There was a total of eight ileostomy malignant pathologies reported, with adenocarcinoma being the most common (76.9%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (11.0%). Adenocarcinoma was diagnosed at a younger age than SCC (59.7 vs. 72.3) and developed over a shorter time (28.8 vs. 37.0). Patients with FAP almost exclusively developed adenocarcinoma (94.4%) at a younger stoma age (25.8 vs. 31.4) than those with IBD who developed seven diverse pathologies. With a median follow-up of 0.75 years, four patients developed disease recurrence and received oncologic resection of their cancer less often than the 55 negative patients (p = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

Ileostomy site malignancies are late-appearing complications that require curative surgery. Their presentation is associated with ileostomy duration and creation indication, such as FAP or IBD. We recommend screening at a stoma age ≥ 20 or patient age ≥ 50 for patients with FAP, while stoma age ≥ 25 or patient age ≥ 60 for IBD patients.

Ostomy Complications in Crohn's Disease

Ostomy creation is a routine surgical procedure that has earned its place high in the surgeon's armamentarium in dealing with challenging situations. However, it is not without its complications. In this article, we review the common complications including parastomal hernia, prolapse, mucocutaneous junction separation with ischemia and stenosis, peristomal skin conditions, and infections. Additionally, we review conditions that arise in association with underlying Crohn's disease, such as peristomal inflammation, fistula formation, and pyoderma gangrenosum.

Adenocarcinoma at the Ileostomy Site After a Proctocolectomy for Ulcerative Colitis and/or Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: An Overview

Adenocarcinoma that occurs at the ileostomy site after proctocolectomy (TPC) with an end ileostomy for ulcerative colitis (UC) and/or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a late and uncommon complication. To ascertain the rate of adenocarcinoma at the empirical ileostomy site following TPC, a review of the literature was conducted. PubMed, MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, Google search engine, and the Cochrane Database were investigated for research published between January 1975 and December 2016. Search criteria included English language and human-only publications; broad search terms related to UC, FAP, ileostomy procedures, and dysplasias were used. Abstracts were eliminated if they were foreign language and nonhuman studies; editorials also were excluded. Secondary and hand/manual searches of reference lists, other studies cross-indexed by authors, reviews, commentaries, books, and meeting abstracts also were performed. Data extracted included age at diagnosis, operation technique, interval to ileostomy cancer, age when cancer was diagnosed, histology for both UC and FAP patients, and subsequent treatment. Papers were included on the basis of available evidence for each specific point of interest. Final and conclusive agreement was assessed with the k statistics during the title review and abstract review. Studies that did not report original data also were excluded. A total of 5753 publications were identified; 5697 publications did not conform to inclusion criteria and were eliminated. Among the reviewed publications (all case studies), 57 patients were diagnosed with ileostomy adenocarcinoma after TPC; 42 had UC, and 15 had FAP. The interval between TPC operation and ileostomy cancer diagnosis ranged from 3 to 51 years for UC and from 9 to 40 years for FAP, with a mean interval of 30 and 26 years, respectively. Biopsies were performed of all polypoid lesions found at the stoma site. Patients were treated with wide excision and refashioning (diversion) of the stoma. While adenocarcinoma arising at the mucocutaneous junction at the ileostomy site with adjacent skin invasion after TPC for UC and FAP appears to be rare, patients and clinicians need to be aware of this potential complication even years after surgery and regular screening is recommended.

Benign colonic metaplasia at a previous stoma site in a patient without adenomatous polyposis

There are few reported cases of cutaneous intestinal metaplasia or primary adenocarcinoma arising at the ileostomy site following panproctocolectomy. These complications have been seen almost exclusively in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, benign intraepidermal colonic mucosa at a reversed ileostomy site in a patient without familial adenomatous polyposis or IBD has not been documented. We report a case of a 51-year-old female with a history of colonic adenocarcinoma who presented with pruritic, erythematous, scaly plaques on the right lower abdomen, present since reversal of her ileostomy in 2007. Skin biopsy revealed benign foci of colonic epithelium with no evidence of adenomatous change. Benign intraepidermal colonic mucosa was diagnosed based on histopathologic findings and immunohistochemistry. To our knowledge, this is the first case of intraepidermal benign colonic metaplasia forming in a patient following ostomy reversal. The case emphasizes the importance of patient education and physical examination of the stoma or stoma remnants for detection of unusual or changing lesions due to the risk for malignant transformation. It also demonstrates that benign colonic mucosa should be considered in the differential diagnosis when evaluating lesions near ileostomy sites, regardless of whether the patient has a history of familial adenomatous polyposis or IBD.