Amyloidosis masquerading as inflammatory bowel disease with a mass lesion simulating a malignancy

Abstract

Our patient, who was known to have multiple myeloma, presented with weight loss, rectal bleeding, and a barium enema study suggestive of a colitis with a mass lesion. Colonoscopy with biopsy revealed the mass to be large mucosal folds infiltrated with amyloidosis. Amyloidosis has been reported to mimick malignancy, mainly by tumorous deposits in the stomach and less commonly in the small and large bowels. Gastrointestinal surgery in patients with amyloidosis potentially may have undesirable consequences due to failure of anastomotic suture lines and subsequent sepsis (6, 11, 17, 18). The knowledge that amyloidosis may be associated with multiple myeloma and an appreciation of the wide range of gastrointestinal roentgenographic findings in patients with amyloidosis should prompt the clinician to obtain endoscopic and biopsy evaluation of these patients.