Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. May 15, 2026; 18(5): 116316
Published online May 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i5.116316
Published online May 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i5.116316
Colonic adenocarcinoma in a pediatric patient: A case report and review of literature
Marwh G Aldriwesh, Areej Alhareeri, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
Marwh G Aldriwesh, Abdulrahman Alswaji, Maymunah Hakami, Roua Almatrafi, Mohammad Bosaeed, Majed F Alghoribi, Department of Infectious Disease Research, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
Marwh G Aldriwesh, Areej Alhareeri, Abdulrahman Alswaji, Maymunah Hakami, Roua Almatrafi, Majed F Alghoribi, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
Areej Alhareeri, Ayyob Alqarni, Mohammed Alhalafi, Nahar A Alselaim, Mohammed Algarni, Homoud Gh Alawfi, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
Ayyob Alqarni, Mohammed Alhalafi, Nahar A Alselaim, Homoud Gh Alawfi, Department of General Surgery, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
Ayyob Alqarni, Nahar A Alselaim, Mohammed Algarni, Mohammad Bosaeed, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Algarni, Department of Oncology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Bosaeed, Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of the National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
Musaad Altammami, Wellness and Preventive Medicine Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia
Majed F Alghoribi, Department of Basic Science, College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Aldriwesh MG was responsible for funding acquisition, project administration, and supervision; Aldriwesh MG, Alhareeri A, Altammami M, and Alghoribi MF contributed to conceptualization; Aldriwesh MG, Alhareeri A, Alswaji A, Hakami M, Almatrafi R, Alqarni A, Alhalafi M, Alselaim NA, Algarni M, Alawfi HG, and Bosaeed M performed data curation; Aldriwesh MG, Alhareeri A, Alswaji A, Hakami M, and Almatrafi R developed methodology; Aldriwesh MG, Alhareeri A, and Almatrafi R handled visualization; Aldriwesh MG, Alhareeri A, Alswaji A, Hakami M, Almatrafi R, Altammami M, and Alghoribi MF drafted the original manuscript; Aldriwesh MG, Alhareeri A, Alswaji A, Hakami M, Almatrafi R, Alqarni A, Alhalafi M, Alselaim NA, Algarni M, Alawfi HG, Bosaeed M, Altammami M, and Alghoribi MF conducted investigation; and all authors participated in writing review and editing, and have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: AI tools were used solely for linguistic refinement and formatting assistance. No AI tool was involved in the generation of research data, interpretation of results, or formulation of conclusions. All AI-generated outputs were critically reviewed and revised by the authors.
Supported by King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, No. RC19/181/R.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Marwh G Aldriwesh, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, P. O. Box 3660, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia. aldriweshm@ksau-hs.edu.sa
Received: November 10, 2025
Revised: December 28, 2025
Accepted: February 2, 2026
Published online: May 15, 2026
Processing time: 188 Days and 0.4 Hours
Revised: December 28, 2025
Accepted: February 2, 2026
Published online: May 15, 2026
Processing time: 188 Days and 0.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This case reports a rare diagnosis of colon cancer in a 14-year-old patient, emphasizing the challenges of delayed diagnosis in pediatric patients due to non-specific symptoms and low clinical suspicion. The report uniquely integrates genomic testing and gut microbiota profiling, revealing potential molecular and microbial contributions to pediatric colorectal cancer pathogenesis. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive evaluation in early-onset cases and suggest a novel direction for research into the role of the gut microbiota in pediatric malignancies, with implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and management strategies.