Fever of Unknown Origin - Colorectal Cancer

9/04/02 (Vicas)

Question: What is the incidence and pathophysiology of fever of unknown origin ultimately traced to colorectal cancer?

Link Directly to Fulltext Article at Publisher

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Unique Identifier:9598855

Authors: Zahid MA. Estes N. Luchi M. Hinthorn DR.

Institution: Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7354, USA.

Title: Carcinoma of the colon: an unusual cause of prolonged fever.

Source: Southern Medical Journal. 91(5):462-3, 1998 May.

Abstract: Solid tumors rarely present with fever. Among those that do, carcinoma of the colon has been infrequently reported as a primary cause of fever. This patient had carcinoma of the right colon with prolonged fever, but no evidence of infection or gastrointestinal symptoms. At surgical resection, a caecal adenocarcinoma was found with metastases to the mesentery and 10 of 40 lymph nodes. The patient's fever resolved after 3 days. The patient remained healthy during 8 years of follow-up. Right-sided colon cancer is not often considered in the complete evaluation of fever of undetermined cause.

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Unique Identifier:4019125

Authors: Aderka D. Hausmann M. Santo M. Weinberger A. Pinkhas J.

Title: Unexplained episodes of fever: an early manifestation of colorectal carcinoma.

Source: Israel Journal of Medical Sciences. 21(5):421-4, 1985 May.

Abstract: The possibility that fever may be an early manifestation of colorectal carcinoma was examined. Of 92 consecutive patients, 28 had preoperative fever. In four patients the fever was the presenting symptom of the colonic tumor, and in another six patients it preceded gastrointestinal complaints by 1 week to 4 months. Fever was thus the earliest manifestation of colorectal carcinoma in 10.8% of the patients. In 13 of the 28 patients the fever could not be explained by the intraoperative findings. We suggest that transient bacteremia may be a common but frequently overlooked manifestation of colonic cancer. Prognosis of the patient may be improved by alertness to the possibility that an episode of unexplained fever may be the first, and sometimes the only, manifestation of colorectal carcinoma.

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