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Our observations indicate that the menopausal status of a patient, the anatomic location or the histologic differentiation of a primary adenocarcinoma of the colorectal area does not seem to affect the incidence of ovarian metastases. Tumors initially classified as Dukes' B2 and, later, associated with ovarian metastases have consistently poorer prognosis. The reason that ovarian metastases attain a relatively large size, while other metastatic foci remain small, is unknown. Regardless of the surgical findings, patients with ovarian metastases from a primary adenocarcinoma of the colorectal area tend to have short survival with widespread distribution of the tumors at death. This would suggest that these metastases occur primarily by the hematogenous route rather than by an orderly invasion to contiguous structures and draining lymph nodes. Patients with resectable solitary ovarian metastases and prospectives of cure must be a rare event in carcinoma of the colon and rectum.

A proposed classification system for liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma is presented. This proposed system utilizes the prognostic factors of the extent of hepatic involvement by metastasis at the time of laparotomy, performance status, preoperative serum alkaline phosphatase level, and the presence or absence of extrahepatic intraabdominal disease at the time of laparotomy. Because of the several different modes of treatment for liver metastasis from colorectal carcinoma, it is necessary that a liver classification system be adopted so that different treatment groups will be comparable. The proposed system utilizes the extent of hepatic involvement by metastasis at laparotomy with a division into three subsets of patients described by a Roman numeral. Roman numeral I represents less than or equal to 25 per cent involvement of the liver by metastasis; Roman numeral II represents greater than 25 per cent but less than or equal to 50 per cent involvement by liver metastasis, and Roman numeral III represents greater than 50 per cent involvement by liver metastasis. An Arabic subscript number is used to describe the patients' performance status. Alkaline phosphatase levels are described by a subscript letter with a representing less than two times normal alkaline phosphatase, b representing greater than two times, but less than four times normal levels, and c representing greater than four times normal levels. At the time of laparotomy extrahepatic intra-abdominal disease is represented by the superscript letter E.