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PERI‐OPERATIVE COLONOSCOPY DETECTS SYNCHRONOUS TUMOURS IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCERS
Author(s) -
Sugrue M.,
Black R.,
Watts J.,
Rich C.,
Toouli J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1991.tb00121.x
Subject(s) - medicine , colonoscopy , colorectal cancer , pathological , perioperative , colectomy , stage (stratigraphy) , resection , surgery , cancer , general surgery , paleontology , biology
The aim of this study was to assess the value of colonoscopy as a pen‐operative investigation in patients treated for colorectal cancer by surgical excision. Patients (134 male, 83 female) undergoing curative resection for colorectal carcinoma between August 1984 and January 1989 had colonoscopy within 3 months of surgery. Eleven patients (5%) had a synchronous cancer, which was diagnosed by colonoscopy in eight. In six of these eight, the diagnosis was made after surgery and 3 patients needed a second colectomy. However, in 3 patients the synchronous cancer was removed endoscopically without the need for further surgical resection. Most synchronous cancers had an earlier pathological stage than the index tumour. The rate of synchronous cancers was higher in patients with synchronous benign polyps (16%) than in those without polyps (3%). Colonoscopy is clearly justified as a peri‐operative investigation in all patients undergoing potentially curative resection of colorectal cancer. If possible, the examination should be carried out prior to surgery, to guide the extent of resection.