Argyrophil mucus-secreting adenocarcinoma of the colon and sebocystomatosis

An infiltrating but localized mucus-secreting adenocarcinoma was found in the ascending colon of a 76-year-old woman who also had cutaneous sebocystomatosis. The Sevier-Munger technique revealed argyrophil granules in most of the neoplastic cells. Only once before have PAS-positive and argentaffin granules (argyrophil in this case) been demonstrated in the cytoplasm of the same malignant cells. Although cancer of the colon and cutaneous epidermal cysts constitute a clear-cut syndrome (Gardner's syndrome), malignancy of the colon is an exceptional complication of sebocystomatosis. Differentiation of the cutaneous condition should be made by skin biopsies.