Adenocarcinoma of the Colon With Hepatic Metastases

Abstract

IT IS estimated that colorectal cancer will have caused 54,900 deaths in 1981. Hepatic metastases in these patients signal a bleak prognosis, as the average duration of life following this discovery is six to 12 months.^1,2In a very select group of patients with solitary hepatic lesions, prolonged survival can be obtained by surgical resection.³In the patient with unresectable metastases, systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy provide palliation, but prolonged survival is rare. This report reviews the experience at Milwaukee County General Hospital (MCGH) with intravenous (IV) and oral fluorouracil therapy in patients with hepatic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma and includes a remarkable 14-year, 11-month survivor. <h3>Materials and Methods</h3> Eight hundred seventy-three cases of colorectal cancer were registered with the MCGH tumor registry between 1955 and 1978. This review included patients with resected primary cancers and histologically proved hepatic metastases either at the time of initial laparotomy or later.