The patient was born with a cloaca, a congenital condition in which the rectum, vagina, and urinary tract drain through a single opening. She had already undergone multiple procedures over her life to correct it. Then, while still young, she was diagnosed with advanced mucinous adenocarcinoma in that same reworked anatomy.
Cleveland Clinic surgeons described the case in the institution's clinical publication on Aug. 13. Treating her required a pelvic exenteration, a multivisceral resection in which surgeons remove the involved pelvic organs together rather than piece by piece.
