SIGNIFICANCE OF EXTRAINTESTINAL MALIGNANCIES IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL-CARCINOMA

Medical histories for the years 1978 to 1988 were reviewed to ascertai n associations between colorectal cancers and extraintestinal malignan cies. 61 out of 838 patients (7.3%) had an extraintestinal malignancy before the colorectal cancer. In males the rate was 5.4% and in female s 10.4%. In males a high association was shown between cancers of the large bowel and urogenital cancers. In females colorectal cancer was a ssociated with breast and gynecologic cancers. We conclude that patien ts with gynecologic and urologic tumors have an increased risk to deve lop cancers of the large bowel and that these high risk patients shoul d undergo long-term follow-ups.