Colonic Endometriosis Mimicking Colonic Cancer – A Case Report

Colonic endometriosis is a rare manifestation with incidence rate of 8% to 12% globally with 90% of the lesion seen in recto-sigmoid. Colonic endometriosis characterized by which ectopic endometrial glands and stroma in colonic wall. The condition majorly targets the middle-aged women, and the symptoms may be related to the vague gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, altered bowel habits, per rectal bleeding with or without bowel obstruction. Such clinical presentations are often like colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease thus making the exact diagnosis difficult. The diagnosis is not easy, due to the instability of the disorder, and due to need to combine various testing modalities. The traditional imaging, endoscopic, and histopathological investigation are often necessary though shallow biopsy of mucosa-gathered by means of colonoscopy is usually inaccurate, as it is mostly localized in muscularis propria and subserosa. Surgical resection becomes not only the mode of diagnosis but also the mode of treatment particularly in cases of obstruction and in suspected malignancies in this condition. The current case report mentions the case of a patient having both sigmoidal and appendiceal endometriosis and displaying clinical symptoms that could be first referred to colorectal carcinoma. It promotes the need to consider colonic endometriosis in female patients of reproductive age presenting with gastrointestinal symptomatology.