THE CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND OUTCOME OF PATIENTS WITH RIGHT COLON-CANCER

We compared the characteristics between the 281 cases with right colon cancer (RCC) and 438 cases with left colon cancer (LCC) who underwent a resection for the disease at our hospital between 1972 and 1995. Th e mean patient age was significantly higher for RCC than for LCC (62.5 years vs 60.4 years). The mean tumor size was also significantly larg er in RCC than in LCC (6.1 cm vs 4.8 cm). The type of recurrence or su rvival was similar between RCC and LCC. Elderly patients were also fou nd to be more likely to develop RCC than younger patients. This cancer often grows to a large size before being diagnosed. These findings, t herefore, suggest the need for targeted examinations for the early det ection of RCC, especially in the elderly.