A rare cause of rectal bleeding in a 48-year-old lupus patient

Cavernous hemangiomas represent a rare benign cause of rectal bleeding. It corresponds to a vascular malformation that can be located anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Our paper reports the case of a 48-year-old woman treated for cutaneous lupus who presented to our department with intermittent moderate rectal bleeding. The Hemoglobin level was normal. A colonoscopy showed a congestive nodular red-purple vascular formation. At Computerized tomography (CT)-Scan, the lesion appeared as an irregular thickening of the posterior rectal wall, invading the meso-rectum. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a submucosal mass of the rectum containing phleboliths with progressive enhancement in the T2 sequence. Diagnosis of rectal cavernous hemangioma was confirmed. Surgery is the most appropriate treatment for this condition, but since bleeding was not important and had no biological repercussions, multidisciplinary experts meeting decided not to operate on the patient and continue monitoring

Signet-ring cell carcinoma of the caecum: A case report

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most prevalent cancer globally, with adenocarcinomas being the most frequent type. Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a very rare subtype of adenocarcinoma, it commonly occurs in the stomach. However, other digestive localizations are possible including the colon, rectum, and gallbladder. Herein, we report a rare case of a metastatic caecal SRCC in a young male patient, presented to our department for abdominal diffuse pain and distention evolving for 3 months, associated with remarkable weight loss and asthenia. The clinical examination revealed abundant ascites and abdominal tenderness. Laboratory tests showed an elevated C-reactive protein at 35 mg/l (normal value: 13 g/dl), increased carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels, as well as CA 19-9 and CA-125.The abdominal scan showed irregular and asymmetrical thickening with peripheral speculation of the caecum measuring 2.1 cm *5.8 cm. Additionally, adjacent adenopathies, abundant ascites, and peritoneal carcinomatosis were observed to be associated with suspicious bilateral pulmonary nodules and micronodules. The colonoscopy identified a bulging ulcerative tumor of the ileocecal valve extended to the ileum. Further histologic examination confirmed the presence of signet-ring cell carcinoma. The patient was referred to the medical oncology department to initiate palliative chemotherapy following a multidisciplinary consultation meeting. We can underline that SRCC of the caecum is a rare entity with a bad prognosis. Usually, the diagnosis is made at late stages due to the lack of obvious symptoms earlier