Cecum tumor delayed diagnosis due to fear of Covid-19 Pandemic
Starting on 11th March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a total of 8,964,711 confirmed cases and 78,407 deaths in Turkey. Due to the pandemic, our 72-year-old case has moved from urban to her house in rural area. She has not benefitted from the treatment she received for her stomachache and loss of appetite, which have begun approx. 6 months ago. She did not go to the follow-up visits due to the fear of COVID-19. Due to the cachectic appearance, bloating in the lower-right quadrant, and palpable hard bulk detected during the physical examination performed in our Family Healthcare Center, the patient was referred to abdominal USG. Abdominal USG was performed on a bulk with dimensions of 65x58mm was observed in the cecal zone. Given neo-adjuvant radiotherapy first, the patient then underwent surgery. The pathological diagnosis was reported to be moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. BRAF V600E/E2/D mutation was detected in the genetic analysis of tumor. Receiving chemotherapy, the patient is in remission and still in the follow-up process. In order to draw attention to the tumor cases, which have been diagnosed late due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was aimed to introduce the present case together with the literature.
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