Unilateral leg weakness and pain secondary to metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma

A 58-year-old man presented to colorectal clinic with intermittent rectal bleeding, weight loss, also pain and weakness affecting his lower back and right leg. On inspection, there were perianal warts (condyloma acuminata), with an additional palpable anal lesion on digital rectal examination, confirmed by colonoscopy. Subsequent imaging revealed a large right psoas abscess, and an associated paravertebral soft tissue component invading the right lumbosacral plexus and nerve roots at L4, L5 and S1. Biopsy of the paravertebral mass revealed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Given his symptomatology, and also as biopsy of the perianal warts revealed high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion/grade III anal intraepithelial neoplasia on histology with infection by human papillomavirus type 6, the primary was presumed to be anal. This was a case of sciatic pain which proved to be diagnostically challenging on initial presentation to primary care. This mode of presentation and pattern of metastasis are uncommon in anal cancer.

A rare case of incarcerated femoral hernia containing small bowel and appendix

An 81-year-old woman was admitted under the acute medical team with a significant acute kidney injury secondary to presumed gastroenteritis, following a 5-day history of diarrhoea and vomiting. She continued to deteriorate despite resuscitative efforts. Subsequently, a non-contrast CT scan revealed likely small bowel obstruction second to a Richter's hernia in the inguinal canal. At diagnostic laparoscopy, both small bowel and appendix were identified to be incarcerated within the right femoral canal. The patient recovered uneventfully and was safely discharged several days following a laparoscopic appendicectomy and right femoral hernia repair.