EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF METACHRONOUS COLORECTAL CARCINOMA

Abstract

The frequency of metachronous colorectal tumors in a prospective 20 yr series of patients with colorectal cancer is reported. Patients (31), that is 2.1% of the patients operated on for cure, had metachronous carcinomas and 5.4% had metachronous polyps. One-third of the metachronous carcinomas were diagnosed at scheduled postoperative control examinations and the others because of their symptoms or at autopsy. The reported metachronous carcinomas are considered to represent failures of follow-up only and do not indicate their true incidence, since their natural course are arrested by removal of adenomas whenever found. Several of the metachronous tumors were overlooked synchronous ones and therefore a thorough postopreative examination of the remaining large bowel is advocated. The finding of subsequent tumors in this series indicates that continuous follow-up is worthwhile.