A case of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome complicated by McKittrick-Wheelock syndrome associated with advanced villous adenocarcinoma

Abstract

F w Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare noninherited disease characterized by hyperplastic GI polyposis with various GI symptoms, alopecia, and onychodystrophy.1 Although the etiology remains unclear, a significant umber of CCS patients with GI malignancy, especially olorectal adenoma and/or cancer, have been reported.2,3 McKittrick-Wheelock syndrome (MWS) is an infrequent disorder that has the clinical features of depletion syndrome characterized by dehydration, watery diarrhea, and various symptoms caused by hyponatremia and hypokalemia4 as well as CCS. The most frequently reported leions causing MWS are villous adenomas situated primarly in the rectum and sigmoid colon.4,5 We report an extremely rare case of a patient with CCS complicated by MWS, presumably caused by a large villous adenocarcinoma of the rectum.