CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH HEREDITARY NONPOLYPOSIS COLORECTAL-CANCER

The clinical manifestations of 1,042 Japanese patients with nonpolypos is colorectal cancer who underwent a resection between 1972 and 1992 a t the National Kyushu Cancer Center were examined. Hereditary nonpolyp osis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) was found in 39 (3.7%) patients. Some c haracteristic findings in HNPCC cases included early age of onset, a p reponderance of right colon cancers, an increased frequency of colorec tal cancers, and a favorable survival. Metachronous (postoperative) co lorectal cancers developed significantly more often in cases with HNPC C than in those without (12.8% vs. 1.8%, P = 0.0001). Metachronous (po stoperative) extracolonic cancers tended to develop more often in case s with HNPCC than in those without (10.2% vs. 3.5%, P = 0.053). In cas es with HNPCC, the mean interval between the initial surgery and the d iagnosis of the second cancer was 61 months (range; 12-153 months). Th ese findings thus indicate the importance of routine and long-term fol low-up to identify any second lesions, especially in patients with HNP CC. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.