AbstractBackground: The most frequent tumor of the anal region is epidermoid carcinoma; however, other types of tumors such as melanomas, sarcomas, and lymphomas can also develop. Most of them present similar symptoms although diagnosis and prognosis might be radically different. Objective: The objective of this study was to report the clinical and histopathological characteristics of a group of patients diagnosed with non-epidermoid anal neoplasm in a third-level hospital. Materials and Methods: Eight patients with non-epidermoid anal neoplastic biopsy samples were evaluated from March 2013 to January 2017. Demographic data and histopathological results were obtained from the clinical records. Results: Mean age of the patients was 48.9 years (23-84); 37.5% of women and 62.5% of men. Patients presented with rectal bleeding in 25%, anal pain 87.5%, anal tumor 75%, and fever 25%. Among the patients, 37.5% presented with melanoma and 62.5% lymphoma. Regarding patients with lymphoma, 60% had plasmablastic lymphoma and 40% non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The diagnostic time was 4 months on average (1-8 months) and 25% of the patients had been previously misdiagnosed with hemorrhoidal disease. Conclusion: Non-epidermoid anal neoplasm cases are infrequent and its accurate diagnosis can take months, therefore, changing prognosis.Key words: Melanoma. Plasmablastic lymphoma. Anal neoplasm abdominoperineal resection. Anal pain. Colonoscopy. Endoanal ultrasound.
ntroductionThe most common malignant tumor in the anal region is epidermoid carcinoma located in the anal canal and in the perianal region1. The American Cancer Society estimated an incidence of 7060 cases in the United States during 20131. Other types of anal tumors are less frequent or rare, which represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge because information available is very scarce2. Less frequent histological types include melanoma, carcinoid tumor, sarcomas, lymphomas, hemangiomas, bowel endometriosis, and broids. Symptomatology is similar to benign diseases, which delays diagnosis and prognosis as a consequence2. In addition, information reported internationally is scarce, and in our country, we have not found any reports in such regard. The objective of this study is to report the clinical and histopathological characteristics of a series of patients treated for non-epidermoid neoplasm in a tertiary health-care center