BackgroundHernias of the posterior rectus sheath are very rare abdominal wall hernias with only a handful of cases reported in the literature to date. As an uncommon disease, it is important to recognize and report this case in order to enhance scientific knowledge of this disease.Case presentationThis case report presents a spontaneous posterior rectus sheath herniation in a 79-year-old white man with previous abdominal surgery for appendicitis. His herniation was discovered incidentally during an examination for his chief complaints of lower abdominal pain and diarrhea which were later diagnosed as Salmonella-related gastroenteritis. A computed tomography scan of his abdomen and pelvis showed abdominal wall hernia with loops of small bowel extending into his rectus abdominis muscle. In this case, it was decided to leave the situation alone for now due to no evidence of bowel obstruction and the low risk of this hernia getting strangulated, which otherwise would have warranted urgent surgery.ConclusionsThis report adds to the limited stock of available literature on this unusual issue and strengthens the evidence base on the best approach to support informed clinical decision making. The significant clinical implication of such case reports is increased identification rate of rare clinical conditions which otherwise often go unnoticed.

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Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in younger adults (<50 years old) is rising worldwide, at a rate of 1% per annum since mid-1980s. The clinical concern is that younger adults may have more advanced disease leading to poorer prognosis compared to their older cohort due to lack of screening. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the incidence and short-term outcomes of colorectal cancer in younger adults. Methods: This is a retrospective study from a prospectively maintained bi-national database from 2007 to 2018. Results: There were 1540 younger adults diagnosed with CRC, with a rise from 5.8% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2018. Majority had lower American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) scores (89%), rectal cancers (46.1%) and higher tumour stage (65.4%). As a consequence, they were likely to have higher circumferential resection margin positivity (6%, P = 0.02) and to receive adjuvant chemotherapy (57.1%, P < 0.001) compared to their older cohort. Multivariate analysis showed disadvantaged socioeconomic status (odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37-7.94, P < 0.001) and increasing tumour stage (OR 14.9, 95% CI 1.89-116.9, P < 0.001) were independent predictors for circumferential resection margin positivity whereas being female (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.53-0.95, P = 0.02), higher ASA score (OR 175.3, 95% CI 26.7-1035.5, P < 0.001), urgent surgery (OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.84-4.11, P < 0.001) and anastomotic leak (OR 5.02, 95% CI 3.32-7.58, P < 0.001) were predictors of inpatient mortality. Conclusion: There is a steady rise in the incidence of colorectal cancer in younger adults. Both physicians and younger adults should be aware of the potential risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and appropriate investigations performed so not to delay the diagnosis.