BACKGROUND: Primary squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the colon are extremely rare and occur predominantly in the fifth decade of life, with a slight prevalence in men. The most common anatomical sites are the rectum and the proximal colon. Clinical signs and common dia-gnostic methods cannot clearly distinguish SCC from adenocarcinoma. METHODS: In this case report, we present a case of a 68-year-old patient with SCC of the cecum and colon ascendens, who was treated with resection and systemic gemcitabine- and cisplatin-based chemotherapy. RESULTS: A 68-year-old patient underwent right-sided hemicolectomy for cecal and colon ascendens tumor, histologically poorly differentiated epidermoid carcinoma, grade 3 with an initial stage of pT4aN1aM0. Due to local recurrence at the resection site with suspected infiltration of straight and oblique abdominal muscles, he was treated with systemic gemcitabine and cisplatin based chemotherapy with partial remission. Subsequently, the postchemotherapeutic residual tumor was radically resected, achieving complete remission of the disease, which persists for 10 months after the surgery. CONCLUSION: The case emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary treatment approach of this rare disease. Early surgery plays a key role. Although the standard chemotherapy regimen is not well defined, the use of a combination of cisplatin and gemcitabine resulted in partial remission in our patient, which in turn allowed a radical resection of the relapse and subsequently achieved complete remission of the disease.

References provided by Crossref.org