Mucinous Neoplasms of the Appendix: Our Clinical Experience and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Aim:Neoplastic lesions of the appendix are very rare and most of them are incidentally detected during appendectomy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features and applied treatments of the patients who were operated in our clinic and diagnosed as appendiceal mucinous tumor (ApMT) in the light of the literature.Method:The data and appendectomy specimens of the patients who were operated in our clinic between January 2011 and December 2016 and who were diagnosed as ApMT were retrospectively evaluated. Age, gender, clinical findings, diagnostic methods, histopathological diagnosis and subsequent treatments were evaluated.Results:Six of the patients were male and four were female. The mean age was 48.6 years (range, 28-85). Nine patients were operated for acute abdomen and one patient was operated electively. Ultrasonography was performed in four patients and computed tomography was performed in six patients preoperatively. Pathological examination revealed simple mucocele in eight patients, mucinous adenoma in one patient and mucinous cystadenoma in one patient. Two patients had appendiceal diverticulum and two patients had diverticulitis associated with acute appendicitis, two patients had appendix perforation and three patients had periapendicular abscess. All patients underwent appendectomy for ApMT.Conclusion:ApMT is a rare tumor of the appendix that may be benign or malignant. Patients may present with symptoms of acute appendicitis as well as unspecific symptoms. Although preoperative diagnosis is difficult, it helps to minimize complications. Care should be taken to prevent appendix rupture and peritoneal mucus contamination during surgery.

Keywords

• Mucocele
• appendicitis
• appendectomy
• pseudomyxoma peritonei