Systematic studies of synchronous gastric and colonic cancer are rarely described in the literature, and most reports are single case studies. Synchronous cancer may be detected either following the initial presentation with new symptoms or as part of routine surveillance. Treatment options depend on the final diagnosis and staging of the individual lesions. We describe an unusual case of a 78-year-old patient who was diagnosed with a mixed hyperplastic-adenomatous gastric polyp (a premalignant condition) and was subsequently found to have a colonic adenocarcinoma. The simultaneous presentation of an adenomatous polyp in the upper digestive tract and a frank cancer in the lower digestive tract is uncommon. A review of the literature questions the merits of routine surveillance in patients under the age of 50.
