title: Synchronous colorectal cancers: a review of clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  With the development of early diagnostic technologies, more synchronous colorectal cancers (SCRCs) can be clinically detected. Although SCRCs are recognized as a significant clinical entity, their clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis have yet to be definitively established. In order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of this disease and to establish an efficient profile by which to recognize individuals at high risk of developing SCRCs, we carried out a review of the relevant literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  The PubMed database was searched for publications of 'synchronous colorectal carcinoma/cancer/adenocarcinoma' and 'multiple colorectal carcinomas'. All publications up to January 2011 were considered, and then only articles in English were retrieved for inclusion in this review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of SCRCs was found to be higher in older and male patients. The prognosis in patients with SCRCs was equivalent to that in patients with solitary CRC. The failure to diagnose synchronous lesions before and during the operation was associated with repeated surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCRCs possess distinctive features compared to solitary CRC. While all colorectal patients should be carefully assessed to rule out the presence of concurrent colon adenomas, since missed lesions can result in additional surgery and poor prognosis, particular attention should be given to the high-risk group of older male patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jia-Yuan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors