Adenocarcinoma of the appendix with metastasis to the spine

Abstract

There are a few reported cases of bone metastasis from adenocarcinoma of the appendix and there is none from Africa. We report this rare case of a 30-year-old man who presented with low back pain following a trivial fall and who subsequently developed generalized peritonitis for which he underwent laparotomy. The histology of the appendix and the mesentery confirmed adenocarcinoma of the appendix with metastasis to the mesenteric lymph nodes while an MRI scan confirmed spine metastasis. Carcinoma of the appendix, should, therefore, be considered as a differential diagnosis in spine metastasis of unknown origin especially with coexisting abdominal symptoms.