Endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum with invasion of the rectum: a case report and review of literature

Hua Yang, Jiao-Jiao Gu, Jiaojiao Gu, Yue Qi, Wei Zhao, Xinlu Wang, Xin-Lu Wang
World journal of surgical oncology · 2019 · vol. 17(1) , pp. 206 · doi:10.1186/s12957-019-1743-0 · PMID:31801560 · PMC6894269 · W2991933747
review OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 11 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This case report describes a rare primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum invading the rectum, successfully treated with surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Malignant transformation of endometriosis in the rectovaginal septum is rare and usually misdiagnosed as a colorectal or gynecological tumor. We report a rare case of primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum with invasion of the rectum. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old overweight woman presented with vaginal bleeding and self-reported left lower abdominal pain during the previous 2 weeks. Preoperative imaging showed a large pelvic mass with invasion of the rectum, suggestive of a gynecologic malignancy. Multiple endoscopic biopsies and immunohistochemical analyses of specimens was performed. The patient received joint gynecological-surgical laparotomy, and there were no intra- or postoperative complications. The histopathological diagnosis was rectovaginal endometrioid adenocarcinoma with rectum infiltration. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and achieved good treatment response, with no early complications. At 12 months after surgery, there was no evidence of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: A high index of clinical suspicion is required for the diagnosis of endometrioid adenocarcinoma in the rectovaginal septum. Surgery combined with additional chemotherapy or radiotherapy seems to be a standard treatment, and hormonal therapy is optional. The efficacies of other therapies, including targeted medication and immunotherapy, are unknown.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Adenocarcinoma Carcinoma, Endometrioid Endometrial Neoplasms Rectal Neoplasms Vaginal Neoplasms Adenocarcinoma Adenocarcinoma Adenocarcinoma Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols Carcinoma, Endometrioid Carcinoma, Endometrioid Carcinoma, Endometrioid Combined Modality Therapy Endometrial Neoplasms Endometrial Neoplasms Endometrial Neoplasms Female Gynecologic Surgical Procedures Humans

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (33)

Cited by (12)

Source provenance

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK