A Rare Case of Cytomegalovirus Colitis Mimicking Colon Adenocarcinoma in an Immunocompetent Patient

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Submitted: July 16, 2025
Published: Jul 11, 2025
DOI: 10.29328/journal.acgh.1001051
Keywords:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV), CMV colitis, Immunocompetent, Colon adenocarcinoma, Histopathology, Differential diagnosis, Antiviral therapy, Colonic mass, Cecal mass, Ganciclovir, Valganciclovir, Inclusion bodies, Mass-like lesion

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Khalid Al-Rayess
Dignity Health, St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin Campus, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Matthew Glover
Dignity Health, St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin Campus, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Ameer Khalek
Dignity Health, St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin Campus, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis is classically seen in immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV, organ transplants, or receiving immunosuppressive therapy. It is exceedingly rare in immunocompetent patients and can pose a diagnostic challenge, especially when it presents as a mass-like lesion mimicking colon cancer. We report a case of a 78-year-old immunocompetent male who presented with hematochezia and was found to have a bleeding cecal mass initially suspicious for adenocarcinoma. Subsequent histopathology revealed CMV colitis. This case emphasizes the importance of considering CMV colitis in the differential diagnosis of colonic masses, even in immunocompetent hosts.

Article Details

Al-Rayess, K., Glover, M., & Khalek, A. (2025). A Rare Case of Cytomegalovirus Colitis Mimicking Colon Adenocarcinoma in an Immunocompetent Patient. Annals of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 013–014. https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.acgh.1001051
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Copyright (c) 2025 Al-Rayess K, et al.

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