Dawn is a 55-year-old woman who comes in today for her yearly wellness examination. You carefully perform the rectal examination in the lithotomy position and feel a mass against the bowel wall which is firm and immobile. Which of the following is most likely?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This examination should make you think of colon cancer because the mass is firm, nonmobile, and nontender. Hemorrhoids are not firm and are frequently visible externally, although some may be internal as well. An anal fissure would be a palpable linear lesion in the anal canal that may be tender. Valves of Houston are sometimes palpable but are not firm.

Dawn Is a 55-Year-Old Woman Who Comes in Today for Her