Ann Coloproctol.  2017 Dec;33(6):210-218. 10.3393/ac.2017.33.6.210.

Is the Location of the Tumor Another Prognostic Factor for Patients With Colon Cancer?

• Jung MK
• Shin US
• Ki YJ
• Kim YB
• Moon SM
• Sung SJ

• KMID: 2439837
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3393/ac.2017.33.6.210

Abstract

PURPOSE
In this study, we investigated both the characteristics of right colon cancer (RTCC) in comparison with those of left colon cancer (LTCC) and the impact of the location of the colon cancer on the prognosis.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 974 patients with nonmetastatic colon cancer who had undergone surgery with a curative intent from January 2001 to December 2011. RTCC was defined as a tumor located proximal to the splenic flexure. The characteristics of RTCC cancer were investigated by using descriptive analyses, and their impacts on the prognosis were assessed by using a Cox multivariate regression.
RESULTS
Compared to LTCC, RTCC showed a female-dominant feature, and an undifferentiated pathology was more frequently observed. The number of lymph nodes retrieved from patients with RTCC was significantly higher than that retrieved from patients with LTCC. During 75 months of follow-up, peritoneal recurrence was more common in patients with RTCC than it was in patients with LTCC, and among the patients with stage III colon cancer, the disease-free and the overall survival rates were significantly worse in patients with RTCC. After adjustments with the other prognostic factors associated with colon cancer had been made, a tumor located at the right colon was found to be independently associated with poor prognosis.
CONCLUSION
RTCC showed unique clinicopathologic features and was associated with a poorer prognosis.

Keyword

Colon adenocarcinoma; Survival; Location; Prognosis

MeSH Terms

Colon*
Colon, Transverse
Colonic Neoplasms*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Lymph Nodes
Pathology
Prognosis
Recurrence
Retrospective Studies
Survival Rate