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Metachronous colorectal cancer

Time interval to presentation of a metachronous cancer

  • Published:
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum

Abstract

A retrospective review of 1888 colorectal cancer patients demonstrated 37 metachronous cancers in 30 patients for a metachronous cancer rate of 1.6 percent. Evaluation of the index cancers consisted of the traditional single-contrast barium enema and proctoscopic evaluation. Forty percent of the metachronous cancers appeared within two years of the index cancer. If the minimum length of the polyp-cancer sequence is three to five years, then this represents a failure of a traditional preoperative evaluation. A more sensitive evaluation potentially could decrease the metachronous cancer rate. Colonoscopy, which has been found to be more accurate in detecting synchronous neoplasms, should be included in the evaluation of all patients with colorectal cancers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska

    Patrick J. Kiefer M.D.

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska School of Medicine, 711 Professional Tower, 105 South 17th Street, 68102, Omaha, Nebraska

    Mark A. Christensen M.D.

  3. Department of SUrgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Alan G. Thorson M.D.

Authors
  1. Patrick J. Kiefer M.D.
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  2. Alan G. Thorson M.D.
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  3. Mark A. Christensen M.D.
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Additional information

Read at the meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, San Diego, California, May 5 to 10, 1985.

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Kiefer, P.J., Thorson, A.G. & Christensen, M.A. Metachronous colorectal cancer. Dis Colon Rectum 29, 378–382 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02555051

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02555051

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