Advances in the care of patients with mucinous colorectal cancer.
The majority of colorectal cancers (CRCs) are classified as adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified (AC). Mucinous carcinoma (MC) is a distinct form of CRC and is found in 10-15% of patients with CRC. MC differs from AC in terms of both clinical and histopathological characteristics, and has long been associated with an inferior response to treatment compared with AC. The debate concerning the prognostic implications of MC in patients with CRC is ongoing and MC is still considered an unfavourable and unfamiliar subtype of the disease. Nevertheless, in the past few years epidemiological and clinical studies have shed new light on the treatment and management of patients with MC. Use of a multidisciplinary approach, including input from surgeons, pathologists, oncologists and radiologists, is beginning to lead to more-tailored approaches to patient management, on an individualized basis. In this Review, the authors provide insight into advances that have been made in the care of patients with MC. The prognostic implications for patients with colon or rectal MC are described separately; moreover, the predictive implications of MC regarding responses to commonly used therapies for CRC, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, and the potential for, and severity of, metastasis are also described.
Department of Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Niek
N
Hugen
Department of Radiology, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK.
Gina
G
Brown
Department of Clinical Oncology, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 2RN, UK.
Robert
R
Glynne-Jones
Department of Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Johannes H W
JH
de Wilt
Department of Pathology, Radboud University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Iris D
ID
Nagtegaal
D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010166:Palliative Care; D057285:Precision Medicine; D011379:Prognosis