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Case Reports
. 2025 Mar 16;17(3):e80679.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.80679. eCollection 2025 Mar.

A Rare Case of Spermatic Cord Metastasis Following Surgery for Transverse Colon Cancer

Ryo Sato  1   2 , Shungo Kakinuma  1   2 , Shunsuke Mochizuki  3 , Asuka Uchiyama  1   2 , Shiori Meguro  4 , Rikiya Matsumoto  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

A Rare Case of Spermatic Cord Metastasis Following Surgery for Transverse Colon Cancer

Ryo Sato et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

We report a rare case of spermatic cord (SC) metastasis in a 44-year-old man with a history of transverse colon cancer. He had undergone laparoscopic right hemicolectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and remained under routine follow-ups with no signs of recurrence. He presented with painless right scrotal swelling, and imaging revealed an SC tumor (SCT). Serum tumor markers were within the normal ranges. Radical orchiectomy was performed, and histopathology confirmed metastatic adenocarcinoma from the transverse colon. Local recurrence was detected four months postoperatively, and the patient is currently receiving multidisciplinary treatment. Metastatic SCTs, although rare, need to be considered in patients with a history of gastrointestinal cancer, even without elevated tumor markers.

Keywords: metastasis; oncology; spermatic cord tumors; transverse colon cancer; urology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Ultrasonography of the abdomen.
(a) A 33 mm mass (long arrow) in the right inguinal region. (b) Several nodules (short arrows) in the right inguinal region.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Magnetic resonance imaging (T2-weighted images) of the abdomen.
Magnetic resonance imaging shows a tumor (arrow) with a low-intensity signal in the right spermatic cord.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Gross appearance of the resected tumor.
Gross examination shows a yellowish-white mass (long arrow) along with multiple smaller yellow-white nodules (short arrows) on the cut surface of the resected tumor.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Histopathology findings.
(a) The spermatic cord tumor shows moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, consistent with metastasis from the transverse colon cancer. (b) The spermatic cord tumor shows positive staining for caudal-type homeobox 2 on immunohistochemical analysis. (c) The spermatic cord tumor shows positive staining for cytokeratin (CK) 20 on immunohistochemical analysis. (d) The spermatic cord tumor shows negative staining for CK7 on immunohistochemical analysis. (e) The primary transverse colon cancer exhibits moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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