Second look at and the colon.

Although the link between bacteraemia and colon cancer is well established, bacteraemia from other viridans group streptococci that commonly colonise colonic mucosa may also herald occult malignancy. We present a case of bacteraemia in an elderly man with new anaemia that led to the detection and removal of a high-grade colon neoplasm. This case contributes to a growing body of literature contending that unexplained streptococcal bacteraemia merits a thorough workup that may include relatively invasive procedures such as endoscopy. Diagnostic colonoscopy provides an opportunity to prevent invasive malignancy that may outweigh bleeding and perforation risks in elderly patients.