title: Immunohistochemical detection of hepatic CEA+ cells: hepatic tumor cell dissemination in colorectal cancer patients--limits of surgery?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatic recurrence following resection of liver metastases occurs in about half of the patients. This is attributed to insufficient margins by some authors, while others accuse the presence of occult tumor cell dissemination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Representative samples of the hepatic margin of 32 patients were examined. Clinicopathologic parameters of the primary tumors of metastatic lesions as well as the width of hepatic resection margin and postoperative adjuvant therapies were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Occult tumor cells were identified in 18 patients (56%). Postoperative adjuvant therapy was associated with longer relapse-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immunohistochemical detection of occult tumor cells is feasible and a frequent finding in the remaining tissue after hepatic metastasectomy.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Kinderchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Moorenstrasse 5, Düsseldorf, Germany. rehders@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rehders
authors.forename: Nikolas Hendrik
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Stoecklein
authors.forename: Feride
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Stephan Ernst
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Baldus
authors.forename: Wolfram Trudo
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Knoefel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen