Distribution of synchronous and metachronous multiple colorectal cancers.
OBJECTIVE
Synchronous and metachronous multiple colorectal cancers are not rare occurrences. Since features of colorectal cancer depend on tumor location, we focused attention on the tumor distribution of synchronous and meta-chronous lesions in colorectal cancer.


METHODS
The records of 1812 patients with colorectal malignancies (either invasive colorectal cancer or high grade dysplasia) were clinicopathologically analyzed.


RESULTS
In one hundred and twenty patients with colorectal malignancies there were synchronous or metachronous lesions. The distribution of synchronous malignancies showed a significant shift from the proximal to the distal site, while in metachronous malignancies, the distribution of second tumors showed a significant shift from the distal to the proximal site.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that different types of cancer lesions do exist, hence careful and meticulous examinations are important.
Ikeda
Yoichi
Y
Department of Surgery and Clinical Research Institute, National Kyushu Medical Center, Fukuoka, Japan. yoikeda@qmed.hosp.go.jp
Saku
Motonori
M
Kawanaka
Hirofumi
H
Muranaka
Toru
T
Takeshita
Morishige
M
Watanabe
Jiro
J
Yoshida
Kohji
K
Sugimachi
Keizo
K
D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000473:pathology*; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000473:pathology*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies