Perineal skin recurrence on the site of Lone Star Retractor: case report

BACKGROUND: Local recurrence of colorectal cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality that usually implies a worse prognosis. Its etiopathogenesis is still a subject of debate. Recurrence on the perineal wound caused by anal retractor device is rarely reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 75-year-old woman with perineal skin recurrence on the site of Lone Star Retractor™ from rectal adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent a curative proctectomy followed by a hand-sewn coloanal anastomosis using Lone Star Retractor™ 2 years ago for a tumor of the lower rectum. The recurrence was most likely caused by the seeding of exfoliated tumor cells into the perianal skin which was abraded by the retractor. CONCLUSION: This case is the fourth case reported in the literature and highlights the importance of the use of less traumatic endoanal retractors to prevent such perianal recurrence. Recurrence on the perineal wound caused by anal retractor device is rare but possible. Further studies are needed to define preventive measures able to reduce cutaneous implants.