To investigate the clinical significance and prognosis of supplemental right hemicolectomy for patients with appendix tumor presented with appendicitis after emergency surgery.

The clinical pathologic data of 32 patients with appendix tumor underwent rescue right hemicolectomy after emergency surgery were retrospectively collected and analyzed to assess the impact of the rescue surgery on prognosis.

Among all patients presented with appendicitis, thirty patients underwent single appendectomy in other hospitals, and two underwent appendectomy and ileocecoectomy. The pathology consultation of 15 patients was diagnosed as carcinoid (carcinoid group) in our hospital, while 17 patients were diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma and signet cell carcinoma (non-carcinoid group). All 32 patients were received rescue right hemicolectomy. Neither residual cancer nor lymph node metastasis was found in carcinoid group, however, residual cancer or lymph node metastasis was found in 11 (64.7%) patients in non-carcinoid group. After a median follow-up of 60.5 (12~156) months, there was no recurrence or metastasis and death in carcinoid group, while there were six patients with disease progression and four deaths in non-carcinoid group. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates are 67.6% and 68.6%, respectively.

Patients, with appendix tumor diagnosed as carcinoid after emergency surgery, received rescue right hemicolectomy and could achieve favorable prognosis. However, for patients diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma and signet cell carcinoma, there was a high incidence of residual cancer and lymph node metastasis, and supplemental right hemicolectomy should be carried out early to definite the final pathological stage, guide treatment and improve prognosis.