title: [An analysis of 35 cases of multiple gastrointestinal cancers].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the clinical and pathologic features of multiple gastrointestinal cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the past 5 years 820 cases of gastric and colorectal carcinomas were surgically treated in the Nanfang hospital. Multiple primary cancers were pathologically confirmed in 35 (4.3%) of these patients. Ratio of male to female was 2.5:1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of these 35 cases, there were 25 multiple colorectal cancers, 10 gastric or gastrointestinal multiple carcinomas. The cancers of 23 of the cases were synchronous and 12 metachronous. The age, interval time and degree of differentiation of the multiple gastric cancers were higher or longer than those of the multiple colorectal and gastrointestinal ones. High frequency of multiple gastrointestinal cancers in the right colon and high incidence of polyps accompanying multiple tumors were found in patients of young age. Survival rate in patients with synchronous cancer were similar to that in patients with single tumor. However patients with metachronous tumors had better prognosis than those with single cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple cancers must be detected as early as possible. Early detection and excision may increase the 5 year survival rate.
authors.affiliation: Nanfang Hospital, The Institute of Digestive Diseases of PLA, Guangzhou 510515.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis