Peritoneal involvement in stage II colon cancer.
A pathologist (K.S.) reviewed histologic slides for peritoneal involvement by tumor cells for 118 patients with stage II colon cancer. Patients were followed up for a median of 6 years. Tumor cells were found free in the peritoneal space in 16 cases (13.6%). The presence of cancer cells free in the peritoneal space was associated with lymphovascular invasion (P = .001) and neural invasion (P < .001). The overall 5-year survival was 80% in the patient population, but was 39% and 86% for those with and without tumor cells free in the peritoneal space, respectively (P < .0001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that free tumor cells within the peritoneal space (P < .0001) and lymphovascular invasion (P = .007) were related independently to outcome. Peritoneal involvement with tumor cells free in the peritoneal space in stage II colon cancer is a powerful indicator of outcome; patients have a survival similar to that for patients with stage III disease.
Lennon
A M
AM
Center for Colorectal Disease, St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Mulcahy
H E
HE
Hyland
J M P
JM
Lowry
C
C
White
A
A
Fennelly
D
D
Murphy
J J
JJ
O'Donoghue
D P
DP
Sheahan
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate