Jl. Gwin et al., SURGICAL-MANAGEMENT OF NONHEPATIC INTRAABDOMINAL RECURRENCE OF CARCINOMA OF THE COLON, Diseases of the colon & rectum, 36(6), 1993, pp. 540-544
The role of surgery in the management of intra-abdominal recurrence of
colon cancer has not been clearly determined. We reviewed the charts
of 28 patients operated upon at our institution for nonhepatic intra-a
bdominal recurrence of carcinoma of the colon and followed for a media
n of 10. 5 months after reoperation. Total resection of gross disease
was possible in 15 patients, who had a median overall actuarial surviv
al of 25.5 months and a disease-free survival of 13 months. Within thi
s group, disease-free survival was significantly prolonged when time t
o first recurrence was greater than 16 months and when patients had no
t had a prior operation for recurrent disease (P < 0.05). Six patients
having a partial resection and seven patients having only a bypass or
ostomy had significantly shorter survivals than those in the totally
resected group, with median survivals of 8 and 3.5 months, respectivel
y (P < 0. 0 5). Operative management of recurrent colon cancer may pro
long survival when disease can be eradicated, and palliative operation
s appear more successful when tumor is resected rather than bypassed.