In 1954, Klippel and Tomlinson1 reported on a case of basal cell carcinoma of the anus. As they noted in their report, such a lesion had been reported in the literature only 12 times, and their case was the 13th. A review of the literature fails to reveal any case of basal cell carcinoma of the rectum; the following is a report of such a case.
F. J., a 64-year-old man, entered Firmin Desloge Hospital, St. Louis, March 4, 1951. For three to four months prior to admission, he had had pain in the rectum, with bleeding, tenesmus, and increased frequency of bowel movement. The pain was fairly constant and was increased with bowel movement. There was a weight loss of 7 lb. (3.2 kg.) following a transurethral prostatectomy done three weeks previously in another hospital.
The general physical examination revealed no abnormalities. Digital examination of the rectum revealed