Fish Bone or Cancer? 80-
Year-Old’s Perforation
Case
Wolfgang Paik
August 13, 2025
Key Takeaways
An 80-year-old man presented with
progressive lower left-quadrant abdominal
pain. Imaging studies identified a mass
adjacent to the sigmoid colon, with features
suggestive of an abscess, although no
definitive foreign body was detected
preoperatively. Surgical exploration
revealed a sigmoid colon perforation
associated with a sharp foreign object,
which was later confirmed to be a fish bone.
Histopathological examination revealed an
inflammatory response without evidence of
malignancy.
The case reported by Daniel Herrera
Hernández, MD, and colleagues from the
Hospital General Regional No. 1 Instituto
Mexicano del Seguro Social, Tijuana,
Mexico, highlighted a rare cause of
intestinal perforation.
The Patient and His History
The patient had a medical history of
diabetes mellitus and hypertension. There
was no prior surgical history or screening
colonoscopy. He reported a 12-day history
Fish Bone or Cancer? Case of Perforation in an 80-Year-Old 1/3
Year-Old’s Perforation
Case
Wolfgang Paik
August 13, 2025
Key Takeaways
An 80-year-old man presented with
progressive lower left-quadrant abdominal
pain. Imaging studies identified a mass
adjacent to the sigmoid colon, with features
suggestive of an abscess, although no
definitive foreign body was detected
preoperatively. Surgical exploration
revealed a sigmoid colon perforation
associated with a sharp foreign object,
which was later confirmed to be a fish bone.
Histopathological examination revealed an
inflammatory response without evidence of
malignancy.
The case reported by Daniel Herrera
Hernández, MD, and colleagues from the
Hospital General Regional No. 1 Instituto
Mexicano del Seguro Social, Tijuana,
Mexico, highlighted a rare cause of
intestinal perforation.
The Patient and His History
The patient had a medical history of
diabetes mellitus and hypertension. There
was no prior surgical history or screening
colonoscopy. He reported a 12-day history
Fish Bone or Cancer? Case of Perforation in an 80-Year-Old 1/3
