title: Significance of the vertebral venous (Batson's) plexus in metastatic spread in colorectal carcinoma.
abstract: Recently studies of bone metastases in colorectal carcinoma by radionuclide scanning are reviewed. A frequency of 33--61% has been reported using the more recently available bone scanning tests. The commonly accepted frequency of bone metastases from colorectal carcinoma by x-ray or anatomic studies is 5%. This much higher frequency currently being reported must still be established by additional studies. However, if the much high frequency currently being reported is firm, they suggest a much greater importance of the Vertebral Venous Plexus in tumor spread than heretofore suspected for colorectal carcinoma.
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D013131:Spine / Q000098:blood supply*; D014680:Veins