Metachronous gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma in a patient with colon adenocarcinoma

A woman in her 70s, who previously declined colon cancer screening, was diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma after she presented with melena and anaemia. After she underwent right hemicolectomy and chemotherapy for stage IIIc colon cancer, approximately 1 year later, she was found to have hepatic metastasis and a gastro-oesophageal mass confirmed as gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma. This case report sheds light on the challenge that patients and clinicians face in cases of metachronous cancers developing in colorectal cancer survivors, and it raises the consideration for possible improvement of the screening guidelines to help detect metachronous cancers earlier in high-risk patients, hence potentially improving the long-term outcomes for these patients.