Recto-vaginal septum cystadenocarcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Carcinoma of the recto-vaginal septum is a quite rare location and related to peritoneal and primary ovarian carcinomas. There are only few reports in the literature with a very poor prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report the case of a 63 years old woman with past medical history of left oophorectomy presenting with a pelvic pain. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a 10 cm mass located in the recto-vaginal septum. A block resection was performed allowing the retrieval of a 10 cm solid tumor of the recto-vaginal septum. Peritoneal biopsies and the right ovary were normal the final diagnosis was cystadenocarcinoma of the recto-vaginal septum. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and displays no sign of recurrence 36 months after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The management of recto-vaginal septum carcinoma with en bloc resection should be performed to avoid peritoneal spread and improve prognosis.