Rectal Cancer Spreading to the Thyroid and Bones
This colorectal cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Subtype
- Adenocarcinoma
- Biomarkers
- CEA 2.75 ng/mL at diagnosis
- Sex
- Male
- Spread to
- thyroid|bones
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy and palliative care
- Outcome
- In Memory
Treatment course, step by step
- He received a colostomy, chemoradiation, rectal surgery, and 6 postoperative chemotherapy cycles.
- A thyroid metastasis was surgically reduced, followed by further chemotherapy.
- After bone progression, he had hip surgery and 3 cycles of bevacizumab and capecitabine before choosing supportive care.
What happened, in summary
A 46-year-old man presented with 3 months of rectal bleeding and weight loss. Colonoscopy found a rectal mass 4 cm from the anal verge, and biopsy showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Initial metastatic testing was negative and CEA was 2.75 ng/mL.
He underwent a diverting colostomy, then long-course radiation with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid. Two months later, he had anterior resection with total mesorectal excision. The rectal cancer involved the full bowel wall, but margins and all 8 sampled lymph nodes were negative. He then completed 6 adjuvant chemotherapy cycles.
A rapidly enlarging thyroid mass later caused severe breathing difficulty. Total thyroid surgery and debulking showed metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma. He received irinotecan, folinic acid, and 5-fluorouracil. After a pathological fracture of the left femoral neck revealed multiple bone metastases, he underwent partial hip replacement and switched to bevacizumab with capecitabine. His condition worsened after 3 cycles. He declined further treatment, chose supportive care, and died at home within 2 months.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by PMC / PubMed Central. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
Collections this story belongs to
- Metastatic Colorectal Cancer 17 stories
- Bevacizumab for Colorectal Cancer 39 stories
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer