Reconstruction of the Abdominal Wall with a Latissimus Dorsi Musculocutaneous Flap: A Case of a Massive Abdominal Wall Metastasis from a Cervical Cancer Requiring Palliative Resection

Abstract

A 49-year-old woman presented with a huge abdominal mass. At laparotomy, a 36-cm diameter semisolid, semicystic mass from the abdominal wall was removed. The peritoneal defect was covered by a mesh and a free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. Histology showed a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma consistent with metastatic tumor from a cervical primary. Surgery has a finite palliative role to extirpate a tumor mass of this size if reconstruction and some form of closure can be achieved.