Incidental Finding of Goblet Cell Adenocarcinoma Post Appendectomy: A Rare Case Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18502/dmj.v8i2.19004Keywords:
acute appendicitis, appendectomy, goblet cell adenocarcinoma, goblet cell carcinoid, hemi-colectomyAbstract
Introduction: One of the most frequent etiologies of an acute abdomen is appendicitis, which ranks as one of the primary reasons for surgical emergencies globally. Goblet cell adenocarcinoma (GCA) of the appendix, is hallmarked for displaying both endocrine and exocrine traits, presenting with symptoms similar to acute appendicitis, complicating its diagnosis before surgery.
Case Report: We present a case report of a 61-year-old male with a medical history of benign prostatic hyperplasia and depression who presented lower abdominal pain, fever, and diagnosed with acute appendicitis. A laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. Histopathology revealed GCA of the appendix with Ki-67 proliferative index of 10%. After multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion and further evaluation, he underwent a right colectomy and hyperthermia intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).
Conclusion: Goblet cell tumors are rare and often not readily recognized. A multidisciplinary approach including a team of oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and general surgeons is essential for the intricacy of diagnosis and therapy. Patients undergoing appendectomy due to appendicitis need a thorough evaluation of biopsy specimen to exclude malignancy.
References
[1] Blair NP, Bugis SP, Turner LJ, MacLeod MM. Review of the pathologic diagnoses of 2,216 appendectomy specimens. Am J Surg. 1993 May;165(5):618–620. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9610(05)80446-5
[2] Abdalla AS, Khan KA, Shah A, Asaad A, Salter V, Barron M, et al. Colonic goblet cell carcinoid: Rarity of a rarity! A case report and review of literature. Chirurgia (Bucur). 2020;115(1):102–11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21614/chirurgia.115.1.102
[3] Shibuya H, Hijioka S, Mizuno N, Kuwahara T, Okuno N, Tanaka T, et al. A rare case of ampullary goblet cell carcinoid. Intern Med. 2018 Sep;57(17):2489–2496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.0516-17
[4] Jang KY, Park HS, Noh SJ, Lee H, Lee MR. Adenocarcinoma ex-goblet cell carcinoid of the ascending colon concurrent with conventional adenocarcinoma. Pathology. 2018 Dec;50(7):789–792. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pathol.2018.06.005
[5] Tang LH, Shia J, Soslow RA, Dhall D, Wong WD, O’Reilly E, et al. Pathologic classification and clinical behavior of the spectrum of goblet cell carcinoid tumors of the appendix. Am J Surg Pathol. 2008 Oct;32(10):1429–1443. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/PAS.0b013e31817f1816
[6] Bell PD, Pai RK. Goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the appendix: An update and practical approach to diagnosis and grading. Hum Pathol. 2023;132:183–196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humpath.2022.06.002
[7] Sigley K, Franklin M, Welch S. Appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma case report and review of the literature. Cureus. 2021 Feb;13(2):e13511. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.13511
[8] Wang Y, Shahabi A, Loeffler A. Appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma: A historically informed reading of 6 cases. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2022 Nov;146(11):1402–1411. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5858/arpa.2021-0249-RA
[9] Li M, Yao X. Goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the anal canal with perianal Paget disease: A rare case report with literature review. Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Apr;102(16):e33598–8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000033598
[10] Connor SJ, Hanna GB, Frizelle FA. Appendiceal tumors: Retrospective clinicopathologic analysis of appendiceal tumors from 7,970 appendectomies [Internet]. Dis Colon Rectum. 1998 Jan;41(1):75–80. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9510314/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02236899
[11] McCusker ME, Coté TR, Clegg LX, Sobin LH. Primary malignant neoplasms of the appendix: A population-based study from the surveillance, epidemiology and end-results program, 1973-1998. Cancer. 2002 Jun;94(12):3307–3312. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.10589
[12] Palmer K, Weerasuriya S. Kandiah Chandrakumaran, Rous B, White B, Paisey SA, et al. Goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the appendix: A systematic review and incidence and survival of 1,225 cases from an English cancer registry. Front Oncol. 2022;12:915028. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2022.915028
[13] Adolfsson G. Benign and malignant tumours of the appendix [Internet]. Acta Chir Scand. 1974;140(2):151–155.
[14] Gouzi JL, Laigneau P, Delalande JP, Flamant Y, Bloom E, Oberlin P, et al.; The French Associations for Surgical Research. Indications for right hemicolectomy in carcinoid tumors of the appendix [Internet]. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1993 Jun;176(6):543–547.
[15] Liu E, Telem DA, Hwang J, Warner RR, Dikman A, Divino CM. The clinical utility of Ki-67 in assessing tumor biology and aggressiveness in patients with appendiceal carcinoids. J Surg Oncol. 2010;102(4):338–341. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jso.21634
[16] Cancer Research UK. Grades and Ki-67 for large bowel and rectal NETs [Internet]. London: Cancer Research UK. Available from: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/neuroendocrinetumours- nets/large-bowel-rectal-nets/stages-grades/grades-Ki67
[17] National Cancer Institute. Ki-67 proliferation index [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Cancer Institute. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/ki-67-proliferationindex
[18] Popa O, Taban SM, Pantea S, Plopeanu AD, Barna RA, Cornianu M, et al. The new WHO classification of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors and immunohistochemical expression of somatostatin receptor 2 and 5. Exp Ther Med. 2021;22(4):1179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10613
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fathima Hana Mohamed Naushad, Shameema Alam, Aliya Ishaq

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.