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Background The aim of the current study was to evaluate the clinical availability of local excision (LE) for advanced rectal cancer without lymph node metastasis after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT) in Korea. Methods From June 2000 to October 2009, 40 patients with cT2-3N0M0 rectal cancer underwent nCRT followed by LE according to a retrospective multicenter analysis. Results Of the 40 patients, 22 were men and 18 were women. Eighteen patients were cT2, and 22 patients were cT3. The median follow-up duration was 38 months. Three patients (7.5%) had morbidity after LE. Four patients (10%) had recurrence (local recurrence [1 patient] and systemic metastasis [3 patients]). The 3-year disease-free survival rate was 85.9%. Only pCR was a recurrence-related prognostic factor ( P = .040). Conclusions Although the current study was not a randomized controlled study, LE after nCRT in T2-3N0 rectal cancer patients appears to be a safe and effective treatment, especially in pCR patients.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) and chromosomal instability are main mechanisms underlying colorectal carcinogenesis. We determined the features and prognosis of colorectal cancer based on MSI including mismatch repair genes and expression of p53.Between 1999 and 2008, a total of 2,649 colorectal cancer patients were analyzed using a prospective database. A mismatch repair defect (MMR-D) was defined as a loss of expression of more than one MMR protein and/or MSI-high. MMR-proficiency (MMR-P) was defined as expression of all MMR proteins and microsatellite stable (MSS)/MSI-low. Groups 1 (G1), 2 (G2), 3 (G3), and 4 (G4) were defined as MMR-D and p53-positive expression, MMR-D and p53-negative expression, MMR-P and p53-positive expression, MMR-P and p53-negative expression, respectively.Eighty-two (3.0%), 181 (6.8%), 1,368 (51.7%), and 1,018 (38.5%) patients were classified into groups 1-4, respectively. Comparison between G1 and G2 showed differences in location (p0.001), size (p = 0.030), node metastasis (p = 0.027), distant metastasis (p = 0.009), and stage (p = 0.040). Comparison between G3 and G4 showed differences in location (p0.001) and histology (p0.001). Comparison between G1 and G3 showed differences in location (p0.001) and histology (p0.001). Comparison between G2 and G4 showed differences in age (p0.001), location (p0.001), size (p = 0.006), histology (p0.001), node metastasis (p0.001), distant metastasis (p0.001), and stage (p0.001). On multivariate analysis, stage (p = 0.007) and histology (p0.001) were associated with improved overall survival, and stage (p0.001) was associated with disease-free survival.According to the MSI and p53 subsets, colorectal cancers showed different clinicopathologic features, but these subsets had no prognostic impact on overall and disease-free survival rate.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the role of pre-operative chest computed tomography (CT) compared with abdominopelvic CT (AP-CT) and chest radiography (CXR) for detecting pulmonary metastasis in patients with primary colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 619 patients with primary CRC who simultaneously received a preoperative chest CT (chest CT group), AP-CT with hilar extension, and CXR (CXR group). Results: In the chest CT group, there were 297 (48.0%) normal, 198 (32%) benign, 96 (15.5%) indeterminate, 26 (4.2%) metastasis, and two lung cancers. Eighteen patients (2.9%) in the CXR group who had no pulmonary metastasis were diagnosed with pulmonary metastasis on a chest CT. The sensitivity and accuracy were 83.9% and 99.0% in the chest CT group, respectively, and 29.0% and 91.5% in the CXR group, respectively (P ＜ 0.0001 and P = 0.0003). Conclusion: Chest CT appears to improve the accuracy of pre-operative staging in patients with CRC and is useful for the early detection of pulmonary metastasis as a baseline study for abnormal lung nodules.

Pathologic complete remission (CR) of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is generally confirmed by routine hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The aim of this study was to identify residual rectal cancer cells in primary lesions of patients with pathologic CR by immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin.The medical records of 358 rectal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant CRT prior to radical surgery between October 2002 and August 2007 were reviewed. The authors stained sections of resected specimens of 58 patients (15.9%; 42 males; mean age 54 years) who achieved pathologic CR (as determined originally by HE staining) with HE and performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) using monoclonal anti-cytokeratin antibody. These stained sections were reviewed for residual rectal cancer cells by a pathologist.Of the 58 patients that achieved CR by initial pathologic examinations, eight (13.8%) were found to contain tumor by cytokeratin IHC. HE staining revealed that six of these were positive for cancer cells, but the remaining two were negative for residual rectal cancer cells.Through better identification of residual rectal cancer cells, cytokeratin IHC offers a means of improving staging accuracy and thus provides useful information for prognosis and treatment decisions for patients with rectal cancer who had a clinical CR after CRT.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery has been introduced as an alternative to conventional laparoscopic surgery. This study compared the efficacies and short-term clinical outcomes between hand-assisted laparoscopic anterior resection (HAL-AR) and conventional laparoscopic anterior resection (CL-AR) for treating left-sided colon cancer. We retrospectively analyzed 248 patients who underwent anterior resection for colon cancer (118 HAL-AR and 128 CL-AR) between May 2000 and December 2006. The collected data included the perioperative and short-term oncologic outcomes. There were no significant differences between the HAL-AR and CL-AR groups, except for the operation time and the size of the primary tumor. The operation time of the HAL-AR group was significantly shorter than that of the CL-AR group (p = 0.004), and the size of the primary tumor in the HAL-AR group was significantly larger than that of the CL-AR group (p = 0.019). The operating time of the HAL-AR group reached an earlier mean plateau than did that of the CL-AR group. Before and after reaching the plateau, there were no differences in the perioperative results between the two groups. The operating time for the HAL-AR group was significantly shorter than that of the CL-AR group after reaching a plateau (p = 0.012). The short-term outcomes for both groups were similar in terms of survival and recurrence (p = 0.996 and p = 0.476, respectively). Hand-assisted laparoscopic anterior resection has a shorter operative time than does CL-AR and is more successful than CL-AR for resecting larger tumors, while both procedures result in similar short-term oncologic outcomes. Hand-assisted laparoscopic anterior resection is thought be a comparable operative technique for anterior resection of left-sided colon cancer.

Background The aim of this study was to determine whether the different polymorphisms in the thymidylate synthase (TS) gene, novel G>C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR), may be related with disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with stage III colorectal cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods The study included 201 patients with pathologic TNM stage III colon cancer who received adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy after surgery. DNA was extracted from fresh tumor tissue and sequenced. Patients with TS genotypes of 2R3G, 3C3G, or 3G3G were assigned to a high expression group, and those with 2R2R, 2R3C, or 3C3C, to a low expression group. Results Frequencies of the TS tandem repeat polymorphisms among the tumor genotypes were 6.0% in 2R2R, 25.4% in 2R3R, and 68.7% in 3R3R. The low expression group included 52 patients (25.9%), and the high expression group included 149 patients (74.1%). Groups classified according to possession of VNTR, SNP, and low- or high-expression genotypes did not differ significantly in DFS. In multivariate analysis, only tumor stage showed significant prognostic value (hazard ratio (HR) 2.05, 95% CI = 1.24–3.37, P = 0.005). Conclusions TS polymorphisms do not predict clinical outcome of colorectal cancer patients treated with adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010;101:22–27. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

This study aimed to compare the safety and technical accessibility of linear stapler and curved cutter stapler (CCS) during mid to low rectal cancer surgery.Between April and November 2006, 60 patients were randomly assigned to either linear staplers (DST TA; United States Surgical, Tyco Healthcare Group LP, Norwalk, CT) or the CCS (Contour Curved Cutter Stapler(R); Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, OH) during low anterior resection for mid to low rectal cancers.There were no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, and mean carcinoembryonic antigen level between the two groups. Distal resection margin was longer in the CCS group as compared with the linear stapler group but did not reach statistical significance (24.7 vs. 20.8 mm, P = 0.065). There was no difference in the incidence of postoperative complications.In this study, both the CCS and linear staplers were satisfactory devices for securing the distal rectum during low anterior resection in mid to low rectal cancers.

Aim The value of multi-visceral resection (MVR) for treating primary advanced colon cancer infiltrating into the neighboring organs had been debated because of the high mortality. Methods We reviewed 1288 patients who underwent curative resection for pT3–4 colon cancer without distant metastasis from 1994 to 2004. Results Eighty four patients (6.5%) with colon cancer infiltrating into the neighboring organs (cT4) underwent MVR. The accuracy of the intra-operative decision for true invasion (pT4) was 35.7%. Major surgical morbidity occurred in 11 patients of the standard resection group (0.9%) and in 2 patients of the MVR group (2.3%) ( p = 0.206). Most of the recurrence was distant metastasis (20 patients, 23.8%). Local recurrence was occurred in five patients (6.0%). The prognostic factors for recurrence and survival were pathologic tumor invasion ( p = 0.033 and p = 0.016, respectively) and lymph node metastasis ( p = 0.010 and p Conclusion Multi-visceral resection was a safe and curative procedure as compared with standard resection for patients with advanced colon cancer. The cause of a poor prognosis in MVR was not local recurrence but distant metastasis. Pathologic tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis were the potential prognostic factors.

There are a range of rates and a number of prognostic factors associated with the local recurrence of colorectal cancer after curative resection. The aim of this study was to identify the potential prognostic factors of local recurrence in patients with colon and rectal cancers. A retrospective review of 1,838 patients who underwent curative resection of non-metastatic colorectal cancer was conducted. The patients were treated between 1994 and 2004, and had a minimum follow-up of 3 years. There were 994 patients with colon cancer and 844 patients with rectal cancer. The median duration of follow-up was 60.9 ± 24.5 months. With respect to colon cancer, the local recurrence rate was 6.1% (61 patients). With respect to rectal cancer, 95 patients had a local recurrence (11.3%), the rate of which was statistically greater than the local recurrence rate for colon cancer (p

Background Some sporadic colon cancers and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) have been known by a constitutional defect in mismatch gene repair (MMR) and dysfunction in of this MMR system, which lead to an aberrant phenotype that can cause microsatellite instability. However, the clinicopathologic features of still existing microsatellite stable (MSS) colon cancer remain to be investigated. Method We compared the gene expression patterns of nine tumor tissues of HNPCC and nine tumor tissues of sporadic colon cancer with their adjacent pathologically normal, MSS tissues by modified differential display-polymerase chain reaction, selected four potential marker genes, and confirmed their reproducibility by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Results Reg I, MLCK, and MYH11 in tumors of MSS HNPCC showed significant differences in gene expression pattern compared with the adjacent pathologically normal tissues ( P = 0.028, P = 0.002, and P = 0.001, respectively). Similar differences in expression patterns for the same set of genes were seen between the sporadic colon cancer group and their adjacent pathologically normal tissues ( P = 0.012, P = 0.003, and P = 0.002, respectively). Conclusion We suggest that the three cancer-associated differentially expressed genes in MSS sporadic colon cancer or MSS HNPCC might be potential tumor markers.

Purpose The clinical features, treatment modality approaches in clinical practice, and prognostic factors for anal canal carcinoma patients were retrospectively analyzed. Materials and Methods Between October 1994 and December 2005, 50 patients with anal canal cancer were treated at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Results After a median follow up of 37.8 months (range, 6.6 - 136.1 months), the 5-year and 10-year survival rates for the 38 patients with early and locally advanced squamous and cloacogenic carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma and cloacogenic carcinoma) were 74.8% and 66.5%, respectively. The 5-year survival and disease-free survival rates (DFS) of the 31 patients who received chemoradiation therapy (CRT) were 83.6% and 74.3%, respectively. The overall and DFS could not be determined for the adenocarcinoma group due to the small number of cases (n = 8). Univariate analysis showed that tumor size (p = 0.04) and inguinal node status (p = 0.04) significantly influenced patient survival in patients with squamous cell and cloacogenic carcinomas. Furthermore, univariate analysis also showed that, inguinal node status influenced patient survival in the adenocarcinoma group. Multivariate analysis showed that inguinal node metastasis is a single independent prognostic variable for survival (p = 0.04) in patients with squamous cell and cloacogenic carcinomas. Conclusion Combined CRT has been adopted as standard treatment with outcomes that are comparable to those reported in randomized clinical trials. Due to the rarity and complexity of anal canal carcinoma, interdepartmental cooperation is required for disease treatment. Thus, proper treatment of patients should incorporate a team-approach and should be available to as many patients as possible.

BACKGROUND Transanal local excision has recently received attention as an alternative to radical surgery for early rectal cancer. Recurrence usually occurs within 5 years after surgery, but recurrences later than this have also been reported. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of recurrence in patients who have early rectal cancer 10 years after transanal local excision. DESIGN Patients with early rectal cancer who underwent transanal local excision from October 1994 to December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. We reviewed the demographics and clinicopathologic features of primary lesions and analyzed the incidence and risk factors of recurrence. SETTINGS This investigation was conducted at a tertiary university hospital. PATIENTS A total of 295 patients who underwent transanal local excision for pTis (n = 155) or pT1 (n = 140) early rectal cancer were included in the analysis. INTERVENTION Transanal local excision was performed for each patient to excise primary rectal lesions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary end point of this study was the incidence of recurrence, especially late recurrence. The secondary end point was risk factors for recurrence. RESULTS The 10-year cumulative local recurrence rate was 6.7% in pTis and 18.0% in pT1 patients. The rate of late local recurrence was 2.8% in pTis and 3.7% in pT1 patients. There was no evidence of late systemic recurrence 5 years after transanal local excision. In pT1 patients, a higher risk of recurrence was associated with an invasion depth of sm3, the presence of lymphovascular invasion, and a positive resection margin. LIMITATION The main limitation of this study is its retrospective nature. CONCLUSIONS Late recurrence can occur in patients with early rectal cancer who have undergone transanal local excision. Transanal local excision can be performed in selective patients with biologically favorable tumors, and 10-year postoperative surveillance should be considered for these patients.

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the prognostic factors and efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IIA colon cancer patients.From 1994 to 2004, we retrospectively analyzed 447 patients with stage IIA colon cancer. The patients were divided into the surgery only and the surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy. The reviewed factors were age, gender, the size of tumor, differentiation, the number of harvested lymph nodes, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion and obstruction.Of the 447 patients, 351 patients (78.5%) received the adjuvant chemotherapy and 96 patients (21.5%) underwent the surgery alone. The significant predictors of survival were lymphovascular invasion (p=0.045) and adjuvant chemotherapy (p0.001) on the multivariate analysis. For the recurrence, male (p=0.014), the number of harvested lymph node (=15 vs.15) (p=0.021), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.050) and adjuvant chemotherapy (p=0.049) were significant on the multivariate analysis. There were similar therapeutic efficacy for survival and recurrence among 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine and uracil/tegafur (p=0.854 and p=0.937, respectively).Lymphovascular invasion and adjuvant chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors. Adjuvant chemotherapy was effective in preventing recurrence and improving survival for the stage IIA colon cancer patients, especially for those patients with less than 15 harvested lymph nodes.

Purpose Recently, an increase in well-differentiated rectal neuroendocrine tumors (WRNETs) has been noted. We aimed to evaluate transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) for the treatment of WRNETs. Methods Between December 1995 and August 2009, 109 patients with WRNETs underwent TEM. TEM was performed for patients with tumors sizes of up to 20 mm and without a lymphadenopathy. These patients had been referred from other clinics after having been diagnosed with WRNETs by using a colonoscopic biopsy; they had undergone a failed endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and exhibited an involved resection margin and remaining tumor after ESD or EMR, regardless of the distance from the anal verge. This study included 38 patients that had more than three years of follow-up. Results The mean age of the patients was 51.3 ± 11.9 years, the mean tumor size was 8.0 ± 3.9 mm, and no morbidity occurred. Thirty-five patients were asymptomatic. TEM was performed after a colonoscopic resection in 13 cases because of a positive resection margin, a residual tumor or a non-lifting lesion. Complete resections were performed in 37 patients; one patient with a positive margin was considered surgically complete. In one patient, liver metastasis and a recurrent mesorectal node occurred after five and 10 years, respectively. Conclusion TEM might provide an accessible and effective treatment either as an initial or as an adjunct after a colonoscopic resection for a WRNET.

What constitutes an adequate length for the distal resection margin in patients with mid-to-distal rectal cancer after pre-operative chemoradiation therapy (PCRT) continues to be debated. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of the distal resection margin on oncological outcome and establish a guideline for the distal resection margin in patients with rectal cancer after PCRT.Data from 204 patients undergoing low anterior resection after completion of chemoradiation therapy were examined. Associations between clinicopathological parameters, including the distal resection margin and oncological outcome, were analyzed retrospectively.The distal resection margin was not significantly associated with local recurrence-free survival, disease-free survival, or overall survival; subgroup analysis of the T3,4 group showed the same results. Further analysis using various lengths (0.5, 1.5, 1 and 2cm) of the resection margin did not show statistical significance for oncological outcomes. Pre-PCRT clinical stage, post-PCRT pathological T stage, and histological grade were significantly associated with disease-free survival.For patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing resection and pre-operative chemoradiotherapy, a narrow distal resection margin did not compromise oncological outcomes.

This study analyzed the patients who died of recurrent colorectal cancer and determined the clinicopathologic indicators that were associated with the survival time.The study included 282 patients who died of recurrent colorectal cancer after resection. The clinicopathologic findings were compared between 162 patients who died within 3 years after resection (the short-term survival group) and 120 patients who died more than 3 years after resection (the long-term survival group). Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the independent factors correlated with the timing of death.When compared with the long-term survival group, the short-term survival group was characterized by a tumor size5 cm (51.2% in the short-term survival group vs. 39.2% in the long-term survival group), poorly differentiated tumor (13.3% vs. 0.9%), invasion through the muscularis propria (98.8% vs. 88.3%), positive lymphatic invasion (43.2% vs. 20.8%), positive vascular invasion (34.0% vs. 16.7%), positive perineural invasion (17.9% vs. 8.3%), extended lymph node metastasis and Dukes' stage C disease (80.9% vs. 60.8%). The mean survival time was significantly influenced by the histologic grade, the depth of wall invasion, the presence of lymphatic or vascular invasion, the level of lymph node metastasis and the Dukes' stage. On multivariate analysis, however, histologic grade was the only independent factor associated with the survival time.The histological grade was the only significant factor influencing the survival time after resection of colorectal cancer. The patients with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma frequently died of recurrence within 3 years after colorectal resection.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the different polymorphisms in the thymidylate synthase (TS) gene, novel GC single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR), may be related with disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with stage III colorectal cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.The study included 201 patients with pathologic TNM stage III colon cancer who received adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy after surgery. DNA was extracted from fresh tumor tissue and sequenced. Patients with TS genotypes of 2R3G, 3C3G, or 3G3G were assigned to a high expression group, and those with 2R2R, 2R3C, or 3C3C, to a low expression group.Frequencies of the TS tandem repeat polymorphisms among the tumor genotypes were 6.0% in 2R2R, 25.4% in 2R3R, and 68.7% in 3R3R. The low expression group included 52 patients (25.9%), and the high expression group included 149 patients (74.1%). Groups classified according to possession of VNTR, SNP, and low- or high-expression genotypes did not differ significantly in DFS. In multivariate analysis, only tumor stage showed significant prognostic value (hazard ratio (HR) 2.05, 95% CI = 1.24-3.37, P = 0.005).TS polymorphisms do not predict clinical outcome of colorectal cancer patients treated with adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy.

Colon cancer with DNA mismatch repair (MMR) defects reveals indistinguishable clinical and pathologic aspects, including better prognosis and reduced response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy. There has been no consensus for p53 as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer. This study investigated the clinical implication of MSI-H/MMR-D and p53 expression in R0-resected colon cancer patients who received adjuvant oxaliplatin/5-FU/leucovorin (FOLFOX) therapy. We analyzed 135 patients, who had been treated by adjuvant chemotherapy containing 5-FU and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) after curative resection (R0) for colon adenocarcinoma between May 2004 and November 2007. Tumor expression of the MMR proteins, MLH1 and MSH2, was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in surgically resected tumor specimens. MSI was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using fluorescent dye-labeled primers specific for microsatellite loci. Tumors with MMR defects were defined as those demonstrating loss of MMR protein expression (MMR-D) and/or microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) genotype. Expression patterns of p53 were determined in a semiquantitative manner by light microscopy. There were 13 (9.6%) patients with stage II, 108 (80%) with stage III, and 14 (10.4%) with stage IV. Fourteen patients with stage IV (10.3%) had metastases to liver only, all of whom underwent complete metastasectomy for liver metastases. In total, 134 tumor specimens were genotyped, 115 specimens were tested by IHC and 113 cases had both genotyping and IHC results available for analysis. Genotyping results demonstrated that 12 (9.0%) cases were MSI-H and 122 (91.0%) were MSI-L/S. By IHC, 11 (9.6%) patients were MMR-D and 104 (90.4%) were MMR-I. The methods were in agreement in 108 patients (94.7%). We assessed 114 patients for p53 expression by immunostaining. MMR status was not significantly associated with DFS (P = 0.56) or OS (P = 0.61) in patients with colon cancer (n = 135) receiving adjuvant FOLFOX. According to p53 status, there was also no significant difference for DFS (P = 0.11) and OS (P = 0.94). For patients with genotyping/IHC agreement (n = 108), there was no difference in DFS (P = 0.57) and OS (P = 0.98) between patients with MSI-H/MMR-D and MSI-L/S/MMR-I tumors. The MMR status or p53 positivity was not significantly associated with outcomes to FOLFOX as adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer patients with R0 resection. Adding oxaliplatin in adjuvant chemotherapy may overcome negative impact of 5-FU on colon cancers with MSI-H/MMR-D.

Background Microsatellite unstable CRC is associated with female gender, large tumours, and poor differentiation. However, there are few reports about the characteristics and differences of sporadic microsatellite unstable CRC based on tumour location. Aims Site-specific heterogeneity of sporadic microsatellite unstable colorectal cancer (CRC) based on location was elucidated. Methods We enrolled 164 CRC patients with high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H) from the prospective database of 2686 consecutive CRC patients who underwent surgical resection. We analysed microsatellite instability (MSI) and expression of mismatch repair (MMR) proteins (MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6). Results Among the 164 MSI-H CRC, 105 (64.0%) were located in the proximal colon and 59 (36.0%) were located in the distal colon. The proximal MSI-H CRC was predominantly in female ( p = 0.014), had a more aggressive differentiation ( p = 0.001), was of advanced stage ( p = 0.035), and had a frequent loss of MLH1 expression ( p = 0.005) compared to the distal MSI-H CRC. Conclusion There were different clinicopathologic characteristics and MMR protein expression between proximal and distal MSI-H CRC. These findings suggest that the underlying carcinogenic pathway or molecular background differs according to location, despite being microsatellite unstable CRC.

This study is a prospective randomized clinical trial to evaluate the clinical safety and the effect of a sodium hyaluronate-based bioresorbable membrane (Seprafilm; Genzyme, Cambridge, MA, USA) for reducing adhesive intestinal obstruction after colorectal cancer surgery.Between November 2002 and December 2003, 504 patients underwent radical resection for sigmoid or rectal cancer. Among these patients, 427 patients were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomized into the Seprafilm group (N = 185) and the control group (N = 242). All the patients in the Seprafilm) group received one sheet of Seprafilm over the pelvic inlet where the peritoneum was denuded due to pelvic dissection. Intestinal obstruction was defined when there were symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distension combined with an obstructive bowel pattern on the radiologic evaluation.The median follow-up period was 25.0 months. There were no significant differences between the Seprafilm and the control groups for the clinicopathologic parameters. There were no differences in the incidence of complications between the two groups; however, the incidence of early postoperative intestinal obstruction was significantly less in the Seprafilm group than in the control group (2.7% vs 7.0%, respectively, p = 0.045). Five patients in the Seprafilm group experienced postoperative intestinal obstruction (2.7%) compared with 11 patients in the control group (4.6%) during the follow-up period; however, there was no statistical difference.Seprafilm appears to be effective in preventing early postoperative intestinal obstruction and there was a trend for reduced intestinal obstruction after lower abdominal surgery for colorectal cancer.

The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term prognosis of patients with carcinoma obstruction of the left colon and determine the associated clinical and pathological characteristics to identify independent prognostic factors.From 1996 to 2003, 915 patients who underwent curative resection for left-sided colon carcinoma were classified as either the obstruction group (n = 169) or the non-obstruction group (n = 746). Clinical and pathological findings were compared between the 2 groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors correlated with survival and disease recurrence.Distribution of tumor location, tumor size, macroscopic type and histological grade were found to be different in comparisons between the 2 groups. The tumor stage was more advanced in the obstruction group. The overall and disease-free survival rates were significantly lower in the obstruction group compared to the non-obstruction group. However, the results of the multivariate analysis demonstrated that obstruction itself was not an independent prognostic factor. Instead, patient age, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level and tumor stage were significant prognostic indicators for long-term outcome.Obstruction in left-sided colon cancer was not an independent risk factor for long-term patient outcome. The study results confirmed the conventional prognostic factors of patient age, serum CEA level and tumor stage.

Background For patients with T3N0M0 colon cancer without known risk factors, the necessity of chemotherapy has no definite consensus. Methods From 1994 to 2004, we retrospectively analyzed 247 patients who had pathologically confirmed T3N0M0 colon cancer without risk factors. Results Among the 247 patients, 198 (80.2%) received chemotherapy and 49 (19.8%) underwent surgery alone. The 5-year survival rate was 92.8% for patients with T3N0M0 colon cancer without risk factors. Only chemotherapy increased survival ( P = .032) by multivariate analysis. The 5-year survival rates were 85.4% in the surgery-only group and 94.2% in the group that received surgery with chemotherapy. There was no difference in the therapeutic efficacy of 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, and uracil/tegafur ( P = .424) for survival. Conclusion The results of this study showed that chemotherapy improved the survival of patients with T3N0M0 colon cancer without risk factors.

Anastomosis leakage is a major complication of rectal surgery. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection (LAR) in rectal cancer patients and study its impact on long-term prognosis and disease-free survival and overall survival in rectal cancer patients. Consecutive patients who underwent rectal resection with primary anastomosis below the pelvic peritoneal reflexion for rectal cancer between October 1996 to February 2006 were included. Anastomosis leakage after LAR occurred in 51 patients (4.0%). The median time to leakage was 4 days (range = 2–30 days). In univariate analysis, gender, level of anastomosis less than 4 cm, preoperative concomitant chemoradiation (CCRT), and length of operation greater than 120 min were significantly associated with anastomosis leakage. In a multivariate analysis, gender (p = 0.041; relative risk = 2.007; 95% CI = 1.030–3.912) and preoperative CCRT (p = 0.003; relative risk = 2.861; 95% CI = 1.417–5.778) were identified as independent prognostic factors. The overall survival of the nonleakage group and the leakage group was 80.2% and 64.9%, respectively (p = 0.170). The 5-year disease-free survival rates were not significantly different between the nonleakage and leakage groups (78.1% vs. 65.9%, p = 0.166). The incidence of anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection is relatively low. Male gender and preoperative CCRT were associated with increased risk for anastomotic leakage after rectal cancer surgery. No effect of anastomosis leakage on local recurrence was found in this series.

Background and Aim: The resection of synchronous or metachronous pulmonary and liver metastasis is an aggressive treatment option for patients with stage IV colorectal cancer and has been shown to yield acceptable long-term survival. We reviewed our experience with colorectal cancer patients with both liver and lung resections to determine the efficacy of surgical resections. Methods: We performed a single institution, retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent surgical hepatic and pulmonary resection for metastatic colorectal cancer between 1995 and 2004. Results: A total of 32 patients underwent resection of both hepatic and pulmonary metastases secondary to colorectal cancer. The 5-year overall survival from initial operation was 60.8%. The disease-free interval was 44.3 months (95% confidence interval: 24.7 and 63.8, respectively). Neither the number of pulmonary lesions nor the time interval between the primary surgery and the metastasectomy had a significant impact on survival (P = 0.134). Conclusion: An aggressive surgical treatment of selected colorectal cancer patients with lung and liver metastases resulted in prolonged survival. The 5-year survival rate of 60.8% with no perioperative mortality was observed in our study.

This study was designed to evaluate the characteristics of recurrences that occur five or more years after curative resection for colorectal cancer. This study included a total of 352 patients who were confirmed as having recurrence after curative resection for colorectal cancer during the period from January 1995 to December 2000. Of the 352 patients, 231 had early recurrence (less than 2 years after operation), 103 had intermediate recurrence (2–5 years after operation), and 18 had late recurrence (more than 5 years after operation). The clinicopathologic findings of the patients with late recurrence were compared with those of the other two recurrence groups, with special reference to the pattern of recurrence. The rate of late recurrence was 1.2 percent. In the late recurrence group, males outnumbered females by a ratio of 3.5:1 and the mean level of preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen was 4.5 ng/ml, whereas that of the early recurrence group was 30.5 ng/ml. All the lesions in the cases with late recurrence except one lesion were located in the left colon or rectum, the tumors were small-sized and polypoid, and well-differentiated adenocarcinomas were more frequently observed. Distant metastasis, especially lung metastasis, was most frequently observed. Late recurrent colorectal cancer has some characteristics compared with early or intermediate recurrence. Although recurrence at more than five years postoperatively is not common, its possibility should be considered whenever performing follow-up, and surveillance for lung metastasis is recommended after more than five years of surgery.

Approximately 20% of patients with colorectal cancer are initially diagnosed with stage IV. The majority has non-curative metastases, and their chances of survival are pitiful. This study evaluated the prognostic factors of survival and the access to the effective treatment in accordance with patients. We retrospectively analyzed 503 patients for demographics, tumor characteristics, the treatment modality, and the survival outcome. Curative operation was performed in 127 patients and palliative operation in 376 patients. For the curative operation group, the 5-year survival rate was 34.5%, and the prognostic factors of survival and recurrence were male gender (p = 0.003, 0.009), pathologic N stage (p

Pulmonary metastases occur in up to 10% of all patients who undergo curative resection. Surgical resection is an important part in the treatment of pulmonary metastasis from colorectal cancer. We analyzed the treatment outcome and prognostic factors affecting survival in this subset of patients.Between October 1994 and December 2004, 59 patients underwent curative resection for pulmonary metastases of colorectal cancer. Uncontrollable synchronous liver and lung metastasis or synchronous colorectal cancer with isolated lung metastasis were excluded from this study. A retrospective review of patient characteristics and factors influencing survival was performed. Survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparison between groups were performed by a log-rank analysis and the Cox proportional hazard model.The 5-year overall survival rate of all patients who received pulmonary resection was 50.3%. The number of pulmonary metastases was significantly related with survival in univariate analysis, but not in multivariate analysis (p = 0.032). Prethoracotomy carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level exceeding 5 ng/ml was related with poor survival (p = 0.001). A disease-free interval of greater than 2 years did not correlate with survival after thoracotomy (p = 0.3).The prethoracotomy CEA level and the number of metastases were independent prognostic factors. Resection of pulmonary metastasis from colorectal cancer may result in improved survival or even healing in selected patients. Pulmonary resection of colorectal cancer is regarded as a safe and effective treatment with low morbidity and mortality rates.

Background: The ultrarapid immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique was applied to the intraoperative examination of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) because routine SLN frozen section examinations sometimes produce false-negative results. The present study was undertaken to develop a reliable protocol for the ultrarapid IHC of SLNs. Methods: SLNs from 79 breast cancer patients with clinically negative axillary node were examinedintraoperatively by frozen hematoxylin–eosin(H&E) stainandby ultrarapidcytokeratin IHC assay. On the basis of the result of serially sectioned permanent study, the sensitivity and accuracy of each intraoperative technique were compared. Results: The total number of dissected SLNs was 178 with a mean of 2.3 (1–5) per patient. The mean turnaround time for ultrarapid IHC was 20 min. The sensitivity rates of frozen H&E staining and ultrarapidIHCwere 70.0and 85.0%, respectively (P = 0.083). Each methodhad aspecificity of 100%. The accuracy rates for frozen H&E staining and rapid IHC were 92.4 and 96.2%, respectively (P = 0.083). Ultrarapid IHC detected one additional patient with sentinel node micrometastasis and two additional patients with isolated tumor cells (ITCs). In those patients, two underwent completion axillary dissection simultaneously and could avoid a second operation. Conclusions: Ultrarapid cytokeratin IHC enhanced the intraoperative detection of sentinel node micrometastasis and ITCs in breast cancer without consuming much time. In patients who need completion axillary dissection after sentinel node biopsy, this technique could be helpful in avoiding a second operation.

Dear Editor: A 63-year-old male visited our hospital with a chief complaint of an anal protruding mass. On rectal examination, there were grade III hemorrhoids with partial mucosal prolapse. Anorectal manometry (ARM) was performed in order to inspect the anorectal function. ARM was done with using an eight-channel water-perfused system (TA 6000 Micropulsing®, Gould, Valley View, OH, USA) and a balloon-attached catheter (Zinetics Manometric Catheter®, Medtronic, Copenhagen, Denmark). The manometry results showed paradoxical contraction of the anal sphincter when straining but no other unusual features. During the examination, the patient only expressed a slight discomfort in the lower abdomen. When he arrived at home, he felt lower abdominal pain and had a large amount of hematochezia. The frequency and amount of hematochezia decreased, and at first, he observed this symptom without informing the clinician of it. He visited hospital after 2 days and complained of abdominal distension and nausea. His vital signs were as follows: a blood pressure of 129/ 108, a heart rate of 127 beats per minute, a respiratory rate of 22 breaths per minute, and a temperature of 36.5°C. The abdominal examination was notable for diffuse abdominal tenderness with guarding. The laboratory studies showed a white blood cell count of 13,580/mm, a hemoglobin level of 16.6 g/dl, and a platelet count of 188,000/mm. The plain abdominal films showed distended small bowel loops with air-fluid levels. A computed tomography showed a short segment of wall disruption on the sigmoid colon and a collection of fluid and extraluminal air surrounding the sigmoid colon. He was taken to the operation room for exploration. Exploratory laparotomy through a lower midline incision showed a severely distended small bowel. However, there was no fecal or purulent material throughout the peritoneal cavity. Examination of the sigmoid colon and rectum showed a full-thickness perforation at the level of the rectosigmoid junction. We performed a Hartmann’s procedure, with resection of the sigmoid colon and upper rectum, closure of the rectum beneath the site of perforation, and sigmoid end colostomy. A perforation of about 8 cm in length was measured in the resected specimen. Gas was passed through the stoma on the fourth postoperative day, and the postoperative course was uneventful. Manometry is an objective method of assessing anal sphincter function and it is an important tool for managing defecatory disorders. Manometry has been widely used for investigating patients with fecal incontinence to identify the presence of sensory or muscular defects, as well as to define functional weakness of the internal and/or external anal sphincter. Manometry is also used before performing procedures to document those sphincter functions that may affect continence or require optimizing continence. In addition, manometry has been regard as a safe procedure because there have been no reports on complications or problems while performing manometry. Lee et al. reported that they experienced two cases of colorectal rupture during the measuring the maximum tolerable volume [Lee et al. (1998) Colorectal rupture: an unusual complication of anorectal manometry. Korean J Gastrointest Motil 4:118–122]. Both patients were in their Int J Colorectal Dis (2008) 32:219–220 DOI 10.1007/s00384-007-0312-0

PURPOSE: An anorectal melanoma (AM) is a very rare tumor. However, sufficient data supporting effective surgical options for the disease do not exist. This retrospective review aimed to analyze treatment outcomes for an AM. METHODS: From June 1999 to December 2008, we retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected consecutive series of 19 patients who had undergone a surgical resection for an AM at a single institute. Surgical method and clinicopathological factors were analyzed. RESULTS: The median age was 61.4 years (range, 46 to79 years). Main symptoms were an anal mass, hematochezia, perianal pain, tenesmus, fecal incontinence, and bowel habit change. The average duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 7.8 months (range, 1 to 36 months). S-100 and HMB-45 were positive in all patients, even in non-melanin pigmentation. There were 12 abdominoperineal resections (APRs) and 7 wide local excisions (WEs). The APR showed longer overall survival when compared with the WE (64.1 months vs. 10.9 months, P < 0.001). No patients who underwent a WE survived more than 13 months. CONCLUSION: A high index of suspicion is necessary to establish the diagnosis for an AM in patients with anal symptoms, and S-100 and HMB-45 can be useful markers for an AM. Even with the small number of cases and the short follow-up, our data suggest that an APR for an AM may provide longer survival than a WE.

Purpose: Generally, pathologic complete remission (CR) of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is confirmed by routine hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining. The aim of this study was to identify residual rectal cancer cells in primary lesions in patients with pathologic CR by staining immunohistochemically for cytokeratin. Methods: The medical records of 358 rectal cancer patients that underwent neoadjuvant CRT prior to radical surgery between October 2002 and August 2007 were reviewed. The authors stained sections of resected specimens of the 58 (15.9%) patients (42 males; mean age 54 years) that achieved pathologic CR (as determined originally by H&E staining) with H&E and performed IHC using monoclonal cytokeratin antibody. These stained sections were then reviewed by a pathologist for residual rectal cancer cells. Results: Of the 58 patients that achieved CR by initial pathologic examinations, 8 (13.8%) were found to contain tumor by cytokeratin IHC. Our H&E study in these 8, revealed that 6 were positive for cancer cells, but that the remaining 2, were negative for residual rectal cancer cells. Conclusion: By better enabling the identification of residual rectal cancer cells cytokeratin IHC offers a means of improving staging accuracy, and thus, would be use to provide information for actual prognosis and treatment decision making of patients who had clinically CR in rectal cancer after CRT. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 502.

Purpose: The use of prophylactic antibiotics in elective colorectal surgery is essential. Although postoperative prophylactic antibiotics are recommended within 24 hr, the optimal duration of the use of prophylactic antibiotics after colorectal surgery has not yet been fully proven in Korea. The aim of this study was to compare infectious outcomes in elective colorectal cancer surgery between postoperative 3-day antibiotic therapy and 5-day therapy. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, randomized trial of a 3-day use vs. a 5-day use of the second-generation cephalosporin cefotetan after elective colorectal surgery. The main outcome measures were the incidences of surgical site infection and all other infectious complications within 21 days after surgery. Results: A total of 306 patients were enrolled. Fifty-one patients were excluded because they received additional surgery or dropped out during the study. Two-hundred fifty-five patients were analyzed in this study. The two groups were similar in terms of demographics, ASA score, tumor location, tumor stage, surgical approach (conventional open vs. laparoscopy-assisted vs. robotic-assisted), and type of operation. The incidences of surgical site infection were not significantly different between the 3-day use group (4/130 or 3.1%) and the 5-day use group (3/125 or 2.4%) (P=1.000). Incidences of overall infectious diseases did not differ significantly between the two groups. Postoperatively, both groups had similar values in their white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, and C-reactive protein levels. However, the number of patients is small to draw a definite conclusion in this study. Conclusion: Three-day cefotetan administration may be not inferior in preventing surgical site infection compared to 5-day antibiotic administration. However, further studies with a large number of patients are needed before a definite conclusion can be drawn.

Purpose Oral capecitabine has been used as adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer patients since the 1990s. Patient-initiated cessation or reduced use of capecitabine occurs widely for various reasons, yet the consequences of these actions are unclear. The present study sought to clarify treatment outcomes in such patients. Methods The study included 173 patients who had been diagnosed with stage II or III colon cancer according to the pathologic report after radical surgery at Samsung Medical Center from May 2005 to June 2007 and who had received capecitabine as adjuvant therapy. The patients were divided into groups according to whether the dose was reduced (I, dose maintenance; II, dose reduction) or stopped (A, cycle completion; B, cycle cessation). Recurrence and disease-free survival rates between the two groups each were analyzed. Results Of the 173 patients, 128 (74.6%) experienced complications, most frequently hand-foot syndrome (n = 114). Reduction (n = 35) or cessation (n = 18) of medication was most commonly due to complications. Concerning reduced dosage, both groups displayed no statistically significant differences in recurrence rate and 3-year disease-free survival rate. Concerning discontinued medication use, the cycle completion group showed an improved recurrence rate (P = 0.048) and 3-year disease-free survival rate (P = 0.028). Conclusion The results demonstrate that maintaining compliance with capecitabine as an adjuvant treatment for colon cancer to preventing complications positively affects patient prognosis.

We agree with Professor Chartrand-Lefebvre’s [1]thoughtful commentary on including chest computedtomography (CT) in the preoperative evaluation of patientsfor colorectal liver metastases resection and its advantageover performing unnecessary surgery. We now have awider indication for chest CT where we include everypatient for colorectal cancer preoperatively. It is importantto note that in our retrospective study, the right lower lobeor the left lower lobe of the lung was involved in 82.9% ofall pulmonary metastases and that abdominal CT initiallyshowed normal chest scans in 66 of those patients (34.2%)[2]. In view of this observation, we suggested that elevatingthe upper level of the scan limit of routine abdominal CTor adding chest CT might result in better detection ofpulmonary metastases in a surveillance program.References

Purpose: The aim of this study was to review our experience with neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the colon and rectum to highlight the clinical and pathological characteristics in this relatively uncommon malignancy. Methods: From December 1995 to December 2006, 11 patients with NEC were identified from our database of 6,143 colorectal cancer patients (0.18%), which does not include carcinoid tumors. The pathology was retrospectively reviewed and the tumors were categorized as pure NEC, including well-differentiated NEC (n=3), poorly-differentiated (n=3) and mixed endocrine/ exocrine tumor (n=5) on the basis of the histology and immunohistochemical findings. Results: The mean age of the patients was 57 yr (range, 37 to 69 yr). The tumors were located as follows: 8 in the colon and 3 in the rectum. The diagnosis of NEC was suggested preoperatively from the tissue biopsy in 2 of 9 patients (22.2%). The tumors were advanced at the time of diagnosis, with American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage III (n=7) and Stage IV disease (n=4). Most tumors stained positive by immunohistochemistry for neuroendocrine markers, including synaptophysin (7/9, 77.8%); however, chromogranin was expressed in 4 of 9 NEC tumors (44.4%). Metastatic disease was detected at the time of diagnosis in 36.4% (4/11) of the patients. The median survival for NEC was 16 mo (3.6-67.4 mo), and for pure NEC and mixed endocrine/exocrine tumor was 4.1 mo and 23.6 mo, respectively. Conclusion: NEC had distinctive cytoarchitectural features and was often immunoreactive for neuroendocrine markers. Our findings showed that pure NEC had aggressive behavior and a poor prognosis.

Purpose: Synchronous colorectal cancer is clinically significant because there is a chance to miss concurrent lesions. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical features of synchronous colorectal cancer. Methods: Retrospectively, the records of 4,494 colorectal cancer patients who underwent a potentially curative resection for colorectal cancer from September 1994 to December 2005 were reviewed. Synchronous colorectal cancer was defined according to the following two criteria: 1) two or more colorectal cancers had to be found simultaneously in the same patient and 2) each of the tumors had to be distinctly separated by an intact bowel wall. Results: Synchronous colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 114 patients (2.5%). Synchronous colorectal cancer shows different features compared with single colorectal cancer. Synchronous colorectal cancer occurs at a older age, occurs more frequently in the colon, has a bigger size, and has more polyps. There was no difference of stage based on survival rate between synchronous and single colorectal cancer patients. The preoperative diagnosis rate of synchronous colorectal cancer was 74.6%. Eleven (9.6%) synchronous colorectal cancer patients underwent a total colectomy, and there were no significant differences in survival or complications compared with the other group. Conclusion: Synchronous colorectal cancer is difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Early postoperative examination for synchronous colorectal cancer is required, especially in patients who did not have a complete preoperative evaluation.

Periodic colonoscopic checkup is needed for patients suffering from colorectal cancer, based on the property that a colorectal neoplasm often recurs synchronously or metachronously. Surgical management appropriate to the occasion should be taken in recurrent colorectal cancer. Particularly, recurring colorectal cancer closely above the prior anastomosis for a low anterior resection should be eliminated by using an abdomino-perineal resection, including the preceding anastomotic site or a new anastomotic creation. Under the latter instance, ample possibility exists for postoperative anastomotic stenosis or leakage by reason of insufficient blood supply to the segment between the earlier anastomosis and the later one. The authors report two cases of re-anastomosis for colorectal cancer just above a previous anastomosis taken by a low anterior resection for rectal cancer. In a 52-year-old male with a history of neoadjuvant concomitant chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT) and low anterior resection for rectal cancer located at 6 cm from the anal verge, a new adenocarcinoma was detected 7 cm from the previous anastomotic site and 3 cm from the anal verge. Considering anal sphincter preservation, the re-anastomosis was made at the upper part of the preceding anastomosis. The patient experienced no surgical complications, such as anastomotic stenosis or leakage and functional defecation difficulty. In another patient, a 50-year-old male with a low anterior resection and adjuvant CCRT for rectal cancer 8 cm from anal verge, a new adenocarcinoma was detected in the colon. The new adenocarcinoma was located 10 cm from the anal verge and 8 cm from the previous anastomosis. The same surgical management was applied to this case, with the same postoperative result.

The lengths of the surgical rectum and peritoneal reflection were important factors in treatment modality of rectal tumor. To evaluate the surgical length of rectum, we measured the length of the peritoneal reflections, sacral promontory and termination of the taenia coli from the anal verge by rigid sigmoidoscope in 23 male and 23 females during operation. The mean lengths of the sacral promontory were 16.5+/- 2.2 cm and 16.1+/-2.2 cm in the males and females, respectively. As for the peritoneal reflection, the results were anterior (8.8+/-2.2 cm, 8.1+/-1.7 cm), lateral (10.8+/-2.7 cm, 11.4+/-1.9 cm) and posterior (13.8+/-2.5 cm, 14.0+/-1.9 cm), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between male and female. And only height had a correlation with the length of sacral promontory both in male and female (p=0.015 and p=0.018, respectively). For all the estimated lengths, the length of the sacral promontory had a correlation with the lengths of the anterior (p

Purpose: Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is technically demanding and needs a longer learning curve than open surgery. HALS (hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery) is a useful alternative to conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) because of its palpability and hand dissection. We compared the learning curves between HALS and CLS for colorectal surgery. Methods: A prospective study without randomization was conducted with the participation of two colorectal surgeons who had not experienced a laparoscopic colorectal operation. The collected data included operative features, oncologic outcomes, and early clinical outcomes. Fifty patients were enrolled in each group, the HALS group and the CLS group. Results: None of the operations converted to open surgery. The operative time was significantly shorter in the HALS group than in the CLS group (149.6±34.6 minutes versus 179.1±36.5 minutes, P＜0.001). On a subgroup analysis of the operative time in the anterior resection, the operative time was consistent after the 13th operation in HALS group. However, in CLS group, there was a continuous fluctuation of the operative time until 25 cases. In regard to the oncologic outcome, the numbers of total harvested lymph nodes and the proximal and the distal margins in the anterior resection showed no statistical differences (P=0.400, P=0.908, and P=0.073, respectively). The early clinical results were similar in both groups. Conclusions: In the learning curve study, the HALS group had a shorter operative time and reached a learning curve plateau earlier than the CLS group. Other parameters, such as the oncologic results and the early postoperative clinical outcomes, showed no differences between the two groups.

Purpose: Pulmonary metastases occur in up to 10% of all patients who undergo a curative resection for colorectal cancer. Surgical resection is an important part in the treatment of pulmonary metastasis from colorectal cancer. We analyzed the treatment outcome and the prognostic factors affecting survival in this subset of patients. Methods: Between October 1994 and December 2004, 59 patients underwent a curative resection for pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer. Uncontrollable synchronous liver and lung metastasis or synchronous colorectal cancers with isolated lung metastasis were excluded from this study. A retrospective review of the patients’ characteristics and of factors influencing survival was performed. Survival was analyzed by using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparisons between the groups were performed by using a log-rank analysis and the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: The 5-year overall survival rate of all patients who received a pulmonary resection was 50.3%. The number of pulmonary metastases was significantly related with survival (P=0.032). A pre-thoracotomy CEA level exceeding 5 ng/ml was related with poor survival (P=0.001). A disease- free interval of greater than 2 years did not correlate with survival after a thoracotomy (P=0.3). Conclusions: The pre-thoracotomy CEA level and the number of metastases were independent prognostic factors. Resection of a pulmonary metastasis from colorectal cancer may result in improved survival or even cure in selected patients. A pulmonary resection of colorectal cancer is regarded as a safe and effective treatment with low morbidity and mortality rates.

A choriocarcinoma of the rectum is extremely rare and has a very poor prognosis. Its rarity and the obscurity of its histogenesis make the entity of disease hard to define. We report a case of a choriocarcinoma of the rectum which showed synchronous liver and lung metastasis. A 52-year- old male patient presented with tenesmus, hematochezia and pain on defecation for 4 months. The preoperative colonoscopy revealed a mass at the rectum, 3 cm proximal to the anal verge. The biopsy revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. An abdominoperineal resection was performed, and the pathologic examination confirmed a choriocarcinoma arising from an adenocarcinoma. Immunostain for β-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was strongly positive for the choriocarcinoma component. Serum hCG checked postoperatively was as high as 4,222 IU/L, but the serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was normal. Although chemotherapy was begun at the 5th week after the operation, the patient died on the 47th day after the operation. A choriocarcinoma of the colon or the rectum is very rare and is aggressive. Although radical resection and chemotherapy are performed, the clinical outcome is very disappointing. Even though a choriocarcinoma of the colon or the rectum is very rare, it should be included on the list for differential diagnosis of a colorectal carcinoma.