Ectopic salivary gland found on rectal biopsy-a rare pathological diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic tissue can be found throughout the GI tract, most commonly being gastric tissue. The finding of ectopic salivary tissue located in the GI tract is an exceedingly rare finding. We present a case of an otherwise healthy 30-year-old male with rectal bleeding who underwent biopsy of a submucosal rectal lesion with pathologic findings of ectopic salivary gland tissue. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient is a 30-year-old male who presented with rectal bleeding. During his workup, he underwent colonoscopy and subsequent endoscopic ultrasound after discovery of a submucosal mass in the rectum measuring approximately 2 × 1 cm. Biopsies were sent which returned showing ectopic salivary gland tissue superimposed on hyperplastic rectal mucosa. The patient's symptoms resolved and he has not had recurrence of bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Ectopic salivary gland tissue is a rare pathological finding in the rectum. It can present as a symptomatic lesion or be found incidentally. There is no clear reason for its presence, but it is felt to be due to metaplasia, developmental anomalies, or idiopathic in nature. Treatment includes excision and monitoring.

Invasive amebiasis and ameboma formation presenting as a rectal mass: An uncommon case of malignant masquerade at a western medical center.

A 54-year-old man presented with rectal pain and bleeding secondary to ulcerated, necrotic rectal and cecal masses that resembled colorectal carcinoma upon colonoscopy. These masses were later determined to be benign amebomas caused by invasive Entamoeba histolytica, which regressed completely with medical therapy. In Western countries, the occurrence of invasive protozoan infection with formation of amebomas is very rare and can mistakenly masquerade as a neoplasm. Not surprisingly, there have been very few cases reported of this clinical entity within the United States. Moreover, we report a patient that had an extremely rare occurrence of two synchronous lesions, one involving the rectum and the other situated in the cecum. We review the current literature on the pathogenesis of invasive E. histolytica infection and ameboma formation, as well as management of this rare disease entity at a western medical center.