Korean J Dermatol.  2012 Apr;50(4):332-336.

A Case of Sparganosis in a Patient with Rectal Cancer

• Chun SM
• Yun SJ
• Lee JB
• Lee SC
• Won YH
• Kim SJ

Abstract

Human sparganosis is a rare parasitic disease that is caused by cestode larvae (spargana) of the genus Spirometra, which commonly invades subcutaneous tissue or intermuscular fascia, but seldom invades the dermis. Although the most common feature is a subcutaneous nodule, which is usually soft, fixed, or sometimes migratory, the mass may be complicated by abscess formation or subcutaneous hemorrhage. In a patient with metastatic cancer, chemotherapy may cause immunodeficiency, and sparganosis reported infrequently, as an opportunistic infection. We experienced a case of sparganosis in a patient with metastatic rectal cancer. A 61-year-old man had a reddish plaque with a hemorrhage vesicle on abdomen for 3 months. He had intricate past histories of eating raw snakes, fried frogs, freshwater fishes, raw meats and fresh water. He had suffered from rectal cancer for 2 years and received chemotherapy. We obtained the parasite from the lesion and diagnosed this case as sparganosis by histologic diagnosis.

Keyword

Immunodeficiency; Opportunistic infection; Sparganosis

MeSH Terms

Abdomen
Abscess
Cestoda
Dermis
Eating
Fascia
Fishes
Fresh Water
Hemorrhage
Humans
Larva
Meat
Middle Aged
Opportunistic Infections
Parasites
Parasitic Diseases
Rectal Neoplasms
Snakes
Sparganosis
Spirometra
Subcutaneous Tissue