Influence of second or multiple tumours on the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Western world. A wide variety of prognostic factors for colorectal cancer have been identified. There is, however, a paucity of literature addressing the influence of multiple primary carcinomas on prognosis.

Metachronous metastasis- and survival-analysis show prognostic importance of lymphadenectomy for colon carcinomas.

Background: Lymphadenectomy is performed to assess patient prognosis and to prevent metastasizing. Recently, it was questioned whether lymph node metastases were capable of metastasizing and therefore, if lymphadenectomy was still adequate. We evaluated whether the nodal status impacts on the occurrence of distant metastases by analyzing a highly selected cohort of colon cancer patients.

Multivisceral and standard resections in colorectal cancer.

Purpose: The current study was designed to identify prognostic factors for long-term survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer in a consecutive cohort.

Methods: A total of 123 patients were operated because of T4 colorectal cancer between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2008 in the Clinic of Surgery, UK-SH Campus Luebeck.

Results: A total of 78 patients underwent a multivisceral resection.

Sequential surgical resection of hepatic and pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer.

Background: Resection of isolated hepatic or pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer is widely accepted and associated with a 5-year survival rate of 25-40%. The value of aggressive surgical management in patients with both hepatic and pulmonary metastases still remains a controversial area.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of 1,497 patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) was analysed.

Intensified surveillance after surgery for colorectal cancer significantly improves survival.

Background: Postoperative surveillance after curative resection for colorectal cancer has been demonstrated to improve survival. It remains unknown however, whether intensified surveillance provides a significant benefit regarding outcome and survival. This study was aimed at comparing different surveillance strategies regarding their effect on long-term outcome.

Radical surgery for early colorectal cancer--anachronism or oncologic necessity?

Background And Aims: Because of their low morbidity and mortality, limited resection or local excision are accepted therapeutical approaches in early colorectal cancer treatment. Even though, recent publications report recurrence rates after local excision of rectal cancer in up to 30%. This prompted us to evaluate our data for T1N0 colorectal cancer treated by radical surgery regarding recurrence, morbidity, mortality, and survival rates.

Increased serum levels of complement C3a anaphylatoxin indicate the presence of colorectal tumors.

Background & Aims: Late diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma results in a significant reduction of average survival times. Yet despite screening programs, about 70% of tumors are detected at advanced stages (International Union Against Cancer stages III/IV). We explored whether detection of malignant disease would be possible through identification of tumor-specific protein biomarkers in serum samples.

Influence of thymidylate synthase and p53 protein expression on clinical outcome in patients with colorectal cancer.

Aims: Thymidylate synthase (TS) and tumor suppressor p53 are two proteins with an influence on tumor resistance to radio-chemotherapy that is well known. For this reason we tested the effect of TS and p53 expression on clinical outcome (tumor recurrence and survival) in patients after curative tumor resection, especially in patients who received adjuvant radio-chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: A total of 120 patients with colorectal cancer were included in the study.

p53 autoantibodies in sera of patients with a colorectal cancer and their association to p53 protein concentration and p53 immunohistochemistry in tumor tissue.

We evaluated p53 autoantibodies (p53-Ab) as a preoperative tumor marker and as a prognosis marker. We also investigated whether p53-Ab production is dependent on p53 protein overexpression in tumor tissue or on tumor volume. Serum samples of patients with a colorectal cancer (n = 130) and of healthy controls (n = 44) were examined for p53-Ab using an ELISA kit.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)--a valuable serum tumour marker in patients with colorectal cancer?

Introduction: Neo-angiogenesis, of great importance for tumour growth and nutrition, is preferentially mediated by the cytokine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which has a direct effect on vascular endothelial cell proliferation and migration. This study was designed to clarify whether VEGF is a suitable tumour marker in sera of patients with a colorectal cancer, and whether VEGF concentrations in sera and tumour tissues are correlated with tumour extension (pTNM) and especially with tumour volume or size. Furthermore, the influence of VEGF levels on patients >> prognosis was examined.

Ordinary colorectal adenocarcinoma vs. primary colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma: study matched for age, gender, grade, and stage.

Purpose: This study contributes to the characterization of primary colorectal signet-ring cell cancer in contrast to ordinary colorectal carcinoma. Primary colorectal signet-ring cell cancer is a rare but distinctive primary neoplasm of the large bowel with still-controversial clinicopathologic features.

Methods: Clinicopathologic features and survival data are evaluated in comparison with those of the ordinary colorectal adenocarcinoma (non-signet colorectal carcinoma) in a retrospective study matched for age, gender, grade, and stage.

Blood selenium and glutathione peroxidase status in patients with colorectal cancer.

Purpose: It is still controversial whether a low selenium level and a reduced activity of the selenium-dependent enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, in blood are associated with an increased risk and poor prognosis of cancer in humans. This study evaluates whether colorectal cancer patients have lower serum selenium and glutathione peroxidase levels than a gender-matched and age-matched control group and whether there is a correlation to clinical data and prognosis.

Methods: In a retrospective study, serum selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity of 106 patients with colorectal cancer were determined.

Flow-cytometric analysis of the DNA-content in paraffin-embedded tissue from colorectal carcinomas and its prognostic significance.

The nuclear DNA content of 163 colorectal carcinomas was determined by flow-cytometry (FCM) on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. DNA-aneuploidy was found in 97 cases (59.5%), in which no statistically significant correlations with sex, mean age, tumour stage (Dukes and pTNM) and tumour grade were noted.

[Retrospective flow-cytometric analysis of the DNA content in colorectal carcinomas and the test of the prognostic significance of DNA ploidy].

The nuclear DNA content of 163 colorectal carcinomas was determined by flow-cytometry (FCM) on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue. DNA-aneuploidy was found in 97 cases (59.5%), without correlation to sex, mean age, tumor-stage (DUKES and pTNM) and grading.

[Anastomotic recurrence following colorectal cancer].

Reported in this paper are 22 patients with recurrence of anastomosis, following curative resection of colorectal carcinoma. Recurrence in all cases was diagnosed by colonoscopy. Seventy-five per cent of all patients under follow-up care were without symptoms, and 83 per cent underwent intended radical surgery to cope with their recurrence.